Stardust
by Ahrmin
Summary: Jade was destined to be a star. When a new rival threatens her rise, will Jade overcome or will her dreams fade to dust? Jori.
1. Chapter 1

"The beginning of any story is critical. The first few lines alone capture the attention of your reader or audience. If you fail to excite their interest, you'll likely never win them back."

If this was a typical day at Hollywood Arts, Jade would be laser-focused on her freshmen writing teacher's lesson. If this was a typical day, Jade's notes would be impeccable, and she would already know how to later apply those notes to her own plays, stories and scripts. If this was a typical day, Jade would be outwardly content, inwardly happy, to be sitting in class another day at the school she always dreamed she would attend. The school that would help her rise to stardom.

But today was not a typical day at Hollywood Arts; it was the first school day after the Big Showcase. Today, Jade was distracted. Today, her notebook was flipped open to an empty page, not even the date written at the top of her otherwise perfect notes, despite being forty minutes into the fifty-minute lecture. Today, Jade was outwardly miserable, inwardly terrified, and it was the school's recent talent show that was the source of her rampant emotions.

It would be easy to blame Beck, and part of Jade did blame him for making her go to the showcase. Beck had worked his magic and convinced her it would be beneficial to her to watch the other students' performances. Staring blankly ahead in class, she relived the conversation last Thursday – the way Beck nonchalantly shrugged, as if it didn't matter whether she went to the show or not, but gave himself away by running his hand through his hair. "Then don't go," he responded flatly after her second refusal. In careful, measured tones, he continued. "But if you did go, you'd get to see the senior performances. And, either they flop and you'll get a good laugh, or they'll do really well and you might be inspired." Jade frowned. She hated feeling manipulated. Beck knew she couldn't resist spectacular failure, and the allure of rare inspiration was too great.

"Fine," she growled, frustrated with herself and with Beck for knowing her well enough to manipulate her. Jade hated losing arguments.

Jade was pulled back to reality by a buzzing against her leg. Her phone was vibrating; she had received a text message. She had been text fighting with Beck all morning, and she wasn't going to lose this argument, too. She typed a quick, curt response, leveling another accusation against him before forcefully pushing the power button to turn off the screen. Jade sighed. It just wasn't the same as roughly snapping her old flip phone closed, and she gained no temporary relief from the action.

She couldn't admit the true reason for her miserable mood to anyone, and she didn't want to admit it to herself. That Friday at the showcase was the first day since she started at Hollywood Arts two years ago that Jade felt intimidated by another student. It was the first time the idea that she could fail, that someone could outshine her, had ever taken hold. And for Jade, that was unacceptable and terrifying. In her world there was only room for one star, and she was destined to shine brightest.

The bell rang announcing the end of class. Jade glanced at her empty, now imperfect notebook and sighed in frustration before stuffing it into her bag. It was the first casualty, the first of Jade's failures, due to Tori Vega. Jade growled to herself, thinking of the new girl, and ignored her buzzing phone indicating Beck had responded to Jade's latest accusation. As Jade left the classroom, the storm of emotions last Friday were rushing back unbidden. She was sitting next to Beck, laughing, because the program for the showcase said the next act was by Trina Vega and everyone knew Trina had no talent. Jade was already anticipating the terrible performance, and she couldn't wait for some well-deserved schadenfreude. So far, most of the acts were just decent, and no one had really flopped. Trina's act promised catastrophic failure.

Except Trina wasn't standing on stage as the lights focused down. Someone else, a girl Jade didn't know, was pushed onto the stage. Jade's grin faltered and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She was about to ask Beck who this girl was when the music started, the house lights dimmed and the performer's voice carried through the auditorium.

"Here I am, once again. Feeling lost, but now and then," the girl sang in clear, crisp notes.

Jade felt, more than heard, herself catch her breath. She sat transfixed, staring in awe at this unknown singer and her beautiful, rich voice. Separate, fragmented parts of her were all wrestling for control of Jade's body, leaving her paralyzed as the performance continued. She wanted to shout and cheer, clapping as the song sped up into a lively pop song. She wanted to cry in frustration over this new threat, someone she didn't and couldn't plan for. She even felt a lurch in her stomach, some unknown mixture of feelings she couldn't place, as she watched the performer dance across the stage, now alive and smiling and _**perfect**_.

Jade winced. Perfect. That word hurt when she applied it to someone else; when she applied it to Tori, a girl who threatened everything Jade had worked so hard to achieve. Tori sang that she was going to "Make it Shine', and Jade hated the coincidence. Two stars can't both shine brightest; one will always overpower the other, obfuscating its light until it's just background noise. The Sun, the brightest star in the sky, pushes away all other stars in its wake. The Sun doesn't share the sky with lesser stars. And to Jade, Tori threatened to become the Sun, and Jade would fade to stardust.

The bell rang. Jade would be late to Sikowtiz's class, just like every class today.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you so much to those who have read and reviewed the first chapter. I've planned this as a longer story and appreciate your continued feedback.**

* * *

Overwhelmed was an understatement for how Tori felt during her first day at Hollywood Arts. The week since her impromptu performance at the Big Showcase was a blur to her.

The day after the talent show, her parents started the process of transferring her from Sherwood High. The move was bittersweet for Tori. She had few friends in school, none she would count as close, but the school was familiar, routine and comfortable. Moving to Hollywood Arts meant new challenges and, despite the crowd's enthusiasm after her performance, Tori still harbored many doubts about herself. Did she really belong there? How well would she fit in among her talented classmates? What if she failed?

Tori desperately wanted to belong. During her last day at Sherwood, she joined Hollywood Arts' social media platform, " ", and started reading about events at the school. She was shocked to find a video of her performance trending on the platform, even now a full week after the Showcase. It helped alleviate her fears for a short while.

But today was Monday, her first day in this foreign place, which meant new fears and new doubts. On the drive over, Tori made her first post on TheSlap using the new phone her parents had given to her in celebration of her acceptance at the new school. "My 1st day at Hollywood Arts. EPIC!" she typed, selecting the most accurate mood, "Freaking", and posting it. "Freaking" was the nicest way she could concisely describe the anxiety welling up inside her.

As they entered the school, Tori tried to explain to Trina how intimidated she felt, but Trina had just run off leaving Tori alone. Tori sighed, irritated with herself for being surprised. Of course Trina was going to flake out on her. That's just who Trina was. And, unfortunately, the strangeness of this school started to set in when the two kids she asked for help were either not helpful at all or borderline creepy. At least she had directions to Mr. Sikowitz's class. She hoped.

As she entered the room, she looked around for any sign that she was in the correct class. Nothing identified the room, and Tori sighed while she stuffed her schedule into her bag and set it down. She turned and stepped backwards, only to realize, too late, that she was about to crash into someone. Time froze as Tori realized she had just spilled coffee on a boy. Tori entered a full-blown panic and sputtered a reflexive apology. To her panic-stricken mind, she thought rubbing the coffee out with her shirt sleeves would somehow fix the damage and she hyper-focused on the task. She barely heard the boy say in reassuring tones, "Seriously, it's okay. You're sweet, but..." as she continued rubbing.

"I think it's coming out," she said, hoping against hope that by saying it out loud it would become true. The boy deadpanned in response.

"You might be making it worse, actually," he said with a slight laugh.

Tori finally stopped for a moment, her focus broken, and offered a hopeful, apologetic smile to the boy. She was preparing a more coherent apology and introduction when a vitriolic voice came from behind the boy.

Jade was already frustrated today. The weekend offered no solace from her irritation and distraction all last week, and while Beck and her were not fighting as much, the text arguments still continued. She had just sent another message to Beck a few moments before she walked into Sikowitz's class. Then, Jade saw Tori with her hands on Beck and every rational thought disappeared in an instant. Jade literally saw red.

"Dude!" Tori heard a girl's voice, which would sound pleasant if it weren't for the poisonous tone. The boy seized up, turning to face behind him and moving away from Tori. Tori could now see the owner of the voice – a girl of shockingly similar build, hair color and length as her. The similarities ended instantly. This girl was dressed in black clothes and metal accessories, face pierced with an eyebrow stud and nose ring, colored streaks running through her hair. Her eyeliner and eyeshadow were heavy, her dark eyebrows were furrowed in concentration and her bright teal eyes shone dangerously. Everything about this girl screamed 'danger', and Tori realized the girl was focused on her.

"Why you rubbing my boyfriend?" Jade asked acidly. Tori froze.

"I-I, I just. Spilled coffee on..." Tori began, panic setting in again.

"Get away from him!" Jade commanded, interrupting Tori's attempt to explain. Jade smiled bitterly at Tori, waiting for her to comply. Tori realized after the fact that she was smoothing her hair down nervously. Beck stepped towards Jade, calmly telling her to relax before kissing her on the cheek. Jade watched him carefully and allowed him to kiss her. She didn't return the kiss, her focus instead falling back to Tori as Beck stepped away. Jade saw the threat that had seized her mind this past week, and she was focused on its eradication. Her focus was broken by Sikowitz tricking the entire class into thinking there was a huge fire in the hall. Jade rolled her eyes after he revealed it was a trick, and she sat down next to Beck, slumping comfortably into him.

The rest of class was not much better for Tori. She was tricked into panicking over a fire that wasn't real, embarrassed by the class learning she had given two dollars to Sikowitz, who she thought was homeless, and singled out for not knowing what improv was. Tori already struggled to feel like she belonged in this school and now she was having second thoughts of ever leaving Sherwood. She was interrupted from her thoughts yet again by her name being called.

"And Tori," Jade said sweetly, smiling but staring daggers at her from the stage in front of the class.

Tori looked up fearfully at Jade. She looked quickly to Andre for reassurance and he nodded, motioning for her to stand up. Tori slowly stood up, moving slowly and carefully up to the stage. She realized she had been volunteered to participate in the improv scene. Her classmates set the scene and event, and Tori saw Jade approach her.

"Uh, why don't you go wait in the hall?" Jade suggested, sounding helpful.

"Uh...ok," Tori replied, smiling to herself nervously. She walked to the door at the back of class. Tori listened to the scene play out and saw Jade approaching her. Jade firmly grabbed Tori around her upper arm, walking forward and pulling her with.

"I went to the animal shelter and got us a dog!" Jade announced as she led Tori to the center of the stage. Jade looked back at Tori expectantly, a big smile plastered across her face. A brief moment of panic later, Tori turned to the class, smiling nervously.

"Um...yep! I'm the new family dog! Woof," she finished flatly. The class was staring at her in confusion. Jade sighed, stepping forward.

"Sikowitz," she called, "would you please tell this amateur that dogs can't talk?" Jade looked back at Tori to emphasize her next point. "And that they don't walk on two legs?" There was silence in response to her diatribe and Jade grew irritated. "Sikowitz!" she shouted, glaring at him. Sikowitz stopped drinking the milk from a coconut long enough to affirm Jade's comments.

"It's true, Tori. If you're gonna play a dog, be a dog," Sikowitz offered in guidance. Jade looked over her shoulder, challenging Tori with a raised eyebrow. Jade couldn't have asked for a better trap. She was convinced Tori would give up now, running out of the class before degrading herself. To Jade's surprise, Tori rolled her eyes, but resolved she wasn't going to give up already. Tori kneeled down, getting on her hands and knees.

"Woof," she offered with a forced flat smile. Jade frowned. Jade hated being surprised.

As the scene continued, Tori couldn't see much. She was forced to look straight ahead, unable to look up without hurting her neck. Tori heard Beck ask if "the dog can sleep in our room", and she couldn't help but grin, recognizing that Beck wasn't afraid to stand up to his girlfriend. Jade frowned at Beck, a new thread of jealousy coursing through her. She had to take drastic measures to break this up. Now. She spied the iced coffee and the lines wrote themselves.

"Oh no! Looks like this dog has bugs in her fur!" Jade said. Predictably, Tori did not move.

"Uh...woof?" Tori said, confused. Tori didn't know where Jade was going with this. She saw Jade move past her, walking into the class.

"Oh, but it's okay!" Jade said cheerfully. "I read on the Internet that coffee works great for getting rid of fur bugs!" Jade grabbed the coffee from her classmate and moved back on stage. Beck tried, too late, to stop her. Jade was committed, and Beck made the mistake of giving her room.

"Jade!" Andre called out, trying to stop the scene. But it was too late. Jade had already begun pouring and Tori felt ice-cold liquid pour down her head, drenching her. Tori froze, unable to process the situation. Then she felt the ice cubes bounce off her head. That was enough to get her to stand up, mouth agape.

"What kind of psychotic person would do that?" Tori thought, still at a loss for words. She turned to face Jade. Jade was waiting to meet her gaze, staring daggers back at her.

Nonchalantly, Jade asked "What's the prob? Dog." Jade's eyes flashed danger and victory. Tori was broken, and Jade saw the resolve wither behind Tori's eyes. Jade smirked as Tori turned, wiping ice out of her hair, and hurried out of the room. Jade, looking and feeling very pleased with herself, smiled at Beck.

"Threat taken care of," Jade thought to herself. "Pretty girl like that can't handle public embarrassment. She won't be back. Good bye, Miss Sunshine." For the first time in over a week, Jade felt like herself and it felt great.

Tori was nearly in tears as she rushed into the hallway. This school was too much. These people were too much. She did not belong here, and everything that happened today proved it ten times over. Tori pulled out her phone and started calling her mom. Andre chased after her, arriving in the hall just as Tori began calling. He grabbed her phone and hung up.

"Hey, give me back my mom!" Tori whined. Andre tried to challenge her, but Tori was fed up. "I don't fit in here! With all this!" Cat and Robbie joined them in the hallway, adding their own warped viewpoints and arguments, and it wasn't helping Andre's attempts to comfort Tori by telling her the school was normal. Andre told them both off and they left. It was time to try a new tactic.

"Ok, this school is not normal," he admitted. Tori rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Really?" she sarcastically asked in response. Andre continued, ignoring her.

"You're not normal, either. I've seen what you can do. You're special. You're fantastic. You belong at this school." Andre realized he said what he could, and he turned to return to class. As a final thought, a few steps away, he turned back. "Normal's boring," he offered with a smile. He made sure Tori saw and heard him before walking back to class. Tori was torn, and Andre had a point, but she was overwhelmed. She called her mom and asked to be picked up. She told her she was feeling sick and needed to come home. She posted an update in frustration as she waited for her mom to arrive.

Jade heard an alert on her phone, and she couldn't help but sneak a quick look while still in class. It was an update on TheSlap from Tori. "worst day ever. GOING HOME. Mood = Wrecked" Jade read the update to herself, her smirk grew wider. Jade had won.

Later that evening at home, that feeling of freedom would only grow. As Jade was posting her own update, "Met a new girl this week. I won't say who she is. I'll only say that she sung Make it Shine in the Big Showcase. And her name is Tori Vega," she read Tori's post about feeling lost and conflicted. Jade smiled as she laid down to sleep.

Tomorrow would be normal. Tomorrow, she would resume her ascent to stardom. Tomorrow, Tori Vega would fade into memory, and Jade would never worry about her ever again.


	3. Chapter 3

Unbeknownst to Jade, the focus of her ire and elation was also laying down at the same time. Unlike Jade, Tori was not laying down to sleep. She needed to relax and think. Tori was usually honest in her online posts; she _was_ feeling conflicted and lost.

Before her unplanned performance, Tori would have never considered singing in front of a crowd. She enjoyed singing when she was alone, but she was so concerned with judgment she never sang in front of anyone – not even her parents. Last week, though, she wasn't given a choice. She was thrust on stage and all her anxiety melted away the moment the music enveloped her. She truly lost herself in the moment and before she knew it, the song was over and she had one fist raised in the air. All she could hear was the cheering crowd over her labored breaths.

Tori wanted to feel that way again. She never wanted to stop feeling that adrenaline, that energy, that dual sense of being connected to everyone playing alongside her and being separate from herself, floating above it all. She knew she wasn't going to ever have that chance if she left the school that made people into performers.

But she was also afraid. Tori was afraid of so many things, failure and isolation chief among them. And she had failed today; she ran away when faced with confrontation, and no one was on her side. Except, she reminded herself, that wasn't true. Andre chased after her immediately. Cat and Robbie weren't far behind, despite not really knowing her. Even Trina had offered a rare compliment to encourage her to return to the school. Her fear was speaking falsehoods, and she was starting to see through the dark veil.

Tori frowned. That girl, Jade West, was real. Jade was not just a mirage of her fear. Tori hadn't meant anything by her attempt to clean up the spilled coffee on Beck, but Jade never gave her a chance to explain. She had pounced, and now Tori was afraid the girl hated her over a simple misunderstanding. Tori sighed as she rolled onto her side.

She had to return to the school tomorrow. For herself, of course, but also for Andre and for the others that stood beside her. Her parents made a big financial commitment to enroll her in Hollywood Arts. And, Tori thought as she drifted to sleep, she had to see if she could clear the air with Jade.

* * *

The next day, Jade was in a fantastic mood as she sat down in Sikowitz's class. She even cracked a joke in response to some of her classmates asking about Sikowitz's wardrobe. Jade never socialized in class and the other kids laughed uneasily. Just as Sikowitz was about to begin his lesson, however, the door opened. Jade instinctively turned around and her face dropped. Walking through the door was Tori, and she looked different today. She carried herself with a confidence that was missing the day before. Jade sat up in her chair, glaring at a problem she thought she had solved.

"Tori. You're back," Sikowitz said, sounding surprised. "Have you ever thought about coming in through the window?" he asked genuinely.

"No..." Tori answered carefully. After being told to think about it, she shook her head and followed his instructions to take her seat. Tori was resolved to succeed today and that meant focusing on this class, this school and doing what these talented kids would do. They would leap at opportunities to prove themselves, and Tori was going to prove she belonged here. She listened raptly as Sikowitz explained the concept of alphabetical improv and she smiled to herself. It was a game, and Tori understood games very well. They were methodical enough to engage the part of her that always enjoyed her science classes. She quickly volunteered as Sikowitz asked for participants. Tori purposefully ignored the way everyone in class turned to stare at her as she walked calmly up to the stage at the front of the room.

"Tori. Choose your actors!" Sikowitz instructed dramatically. Tori took a deep breath, smiling at the class. That alone was already an act, but Tori was committed. She would prove she belonged in this class and in this school.

"Okay...Andre. Cat. Beck," Tori rattled off decisively. She looked past Beck to Jade, who was sitting in the very back. Jade had stared at Tori since she had volunteered; in fact, Tori was all Jade had been thinking about since her return. Despite it being March, Tori's reappearance was a cold autumn wind, forcing the candle that was Jade's sense of normalcy to flicker and fight for its life. Again, Jade found herself searching for answers in her mind, desperate to find a defense against this invasive threat. She was broken from her thoughts when she heard her name.

"And Jade," Tori directed. Jade blinked, realizing Tori had just added her to the improv roster, and she raised an eyebrow. Tori caught Jade's nonverbal challenge. "Yeah, you," she responded a little harsher than she meant. Jade slightly tipped her head, acknowledging Tori's request. Jade stood up and strutted to the front of class. Whether by inspiration or insecurity, she couldn't help but pull Beck into a deep kiss as she passed him on her way to stand behind Tori. Tori rolled her eyes. She really did want to clear the air with Jade, but it was clear the girl wasn't going to give Tori a chance. Her actions made it obvious she already thought Tori wanted Beck and would try to steal him away from her. Beck was attractive, but Tori wasn't looking to that kind of attention, especially from someone who was already taken.

Tori frowned as she realized what she had to do. She didn't like it, but Jade had pushed first. Tori was going to have to push back, just a little harder.

"The first letter of the first line is 'P'. Tori? Action!" Sikowitz announced. Tori instantly spun to face Jade.

"Please go take a shower," she directed firmly with a flat smile. Cat looked worriedly at Beck as he slowly approached the two girls. Jade placed her hands on her hips as she stared down Tori.

"Quit telling me what to do," Jade responded in an equally firm tone.

"Relax, girls. Let's all try to get along," Beck interjected with a controlled smile, looking between Jade and Tori. Cat couldn't help herself and jumped in.

"Totally!" she called out. Sikowitz made a buzzing noise; Cat had broken the rules and was disqualified. She sulked back to her seat, cheering up only when Sikowitz gave her a piece of candy. Sikowitz called for the scene to continue, prompting Andre to continue.

"Uh...something just bit my toe!" Andre called out uncertainly. Tori gasped, moving over to him quickly.

"Turtle! That turtle just bit his toe!" she called out excitedly. Jade, still in a defensive stance, moved past Tori.

"Unbelievable that you're even here," Jade spoke in a bored tone. She refused to look at Tori, opting instead to stare straight ahead at the ceiling. Beck looked at her incredulously.

"Very immature of you to say that," he scolded her. Jade looked at him, her expression dropping. Beck never scolded her. Andre stalled and Sikowitz called out encouragement, prompting him with the next letter.

"W-What if the turtle bite broke my toe bone?" Andre asked in distress. Tori stared forward for a moment, planning out her next few lines.

"X-Rays are the only way to find out," she said, looking at Andre and nodding reassuringly. Jade had turned to stare at Tori.

"You should shut up," she said flatly with a smile. Tori smiled tersely back at her. Beck leaned forward, forcing himself to set the scene back in motion.

"Zap! I just healed your toe with my magic finger," he said calmly, smirking at Andre. Andre nodded at him,

"Thanks."

Sikowitz again made a buzzing noise, disqualifying Andre for breaking the rules of the improv. Andre lamented and Tori and Beck both reached out to pat him on the back as he slowly walked back to his seat. Sikowitz reset the game, instructing Tori to pick back up with the letter 'A'. Tori had planned for 'B'; she wasn't expecting Andre to mess up! She thought for a moment before turning suddenly to Beck.

"Aliens! Are the only ones who can heal toes by finger zapping," she said critically, furrowing her eyebrows suspiciously at Beck. Jade struggled for just a moment before she stepped forward.

"B-By the way," she said, as she turned and blew a raspberry at Tori with a glare. Jade turned around, stomping into the background of the scene. Tori rolled her eyes. Tori had known Jade was insecure, but she was acting childish. Couldn't the girl even compose herself long enough to focus on the lesson and keep the dialogue moving forward? Tori's confidence in herself and her irritation with Jade were surging. Her thoughts were interrupted by Beck's proclamation.

"Correct! I am an alien," he said as he motioned towards himself. Tori gasped as she brought a hand to her chest. She stared at Beck, while Jade stared at her. Jade did not like the fact that Tori and Beck were so easily falling into the improvised dialogue, and Jade was feeling more isolated on stage.

"Don't hurt me! Please?" Tori begged, stepping towards Beck, doe eyes large and innocent. Jade looked at Beck, her voice uncertain.

"Even though she's extremely annoying?" Jade offered. Tori glanced at Jade briefly before Beck took a step back.

"Fainting...cuz I can't breath...your Earth air..." Beck struggled to say, as he slowly collapsed to the floor. Tori and Jade both looked panicked. With Beck temporarily out of the scene, they were going to have to interact directly with each other. Tori glanced to Jade.

"Gosh, it fainted!" she said plainly. Jade glared at her in response. Sikowitz called out encouragement, telling Jade and Tori to continue the scene.

"Hey! Why don't you go jump off the cliff over there?" Jade asked in fake cheerful tone. Tori nodded, looking away from the girl.

"I think you should," came her retort.

"Just where did you come from?" Jade asked pointedly. Tori grinned.

"Kangaroos," she replied.

"Lousy animals, kangaroos," Jade affirmed, stepping past Tori. "They're awkward and dirty." Tori's irritation with Jade peaked. Jade wanted to keep pushing? Fine, Tori could push harder, too. Tori slowly spun around to face Jade directly.

"Maybe they learned from you," she flatly responded, hands on her hips and no longer grinning. So focused on Jade, Tori didn't even hear the class's hushed sound of shock. Jade herself couldn't believe what she was hearing. Jade's smile did not falter, but it did not reach her eyes.

"No one talks to me like that," Jade instructed Tori.

"Obviously someone should," Tori responded, no longer willing to back down. She hadn't planned these responses, they were just pouring out of her.

"Please run in front of a bus," Jade interjected, her temper flaring. How was Tori keeping this up? Jade's focus had started to slip.

"Quite obnoxious of you to say," Tori accused, arms crossed.

"Really?" Jade challenged her back.

"Sure was," Tori affirmed.

"Thanks!" Jade sarcastically responded, drawing out the word in irritation.

"Up your nose I see boogers," came the next line.

"Very clever," Jade offered in a sarcastic compliment. Tori smiled at her condescendingly.

"Wish you thought of it?" Tori asked. Jade knew she couldn't respond directly, so she changed the subject. She pointed directly at Tori's face.

"X marks the spot I'd like to punch!" she practically shouted. Tori stuttered.

"Your...finger smells weird!" Jade retracted her hand quickly, mentally centering herself.

"Zero is what you are on a scale of one to ten," Jade moved past Tori, stomping away to create distance. She knew Tori was dangerous, that she was a threat, but she was keeping pace with her in an acting exercise. This wasn't supposed to happen. The scene was moving too quickly, and Jade was amazed and horrified that Tori was keeping up. A small part of Jade was even afraid that Tori might be out-pacing her.

Tori whipped around, her pitch shifted upward. "As if I care what you think!" she shouted, no longer acting.

"Better watch yourself," Jade responded defensively. Tori pushed.

"Can't take it?" she challenged. Jade's temper flared. No one challenged her.

"Don't push me!" she shouted back, her voice cracking. Tori sensed weakness. This was it.

"Eat your pants!" she shouted at Jade, breaking out into a grin.

"You eat your pants!" Jade shouted back. She realized what she had done a second too late, calling out to Sikowitz "No, wait!" but he had already sounded a buzzing noise.

"Sorry Jade, but the next letter was..." he said in a game-show host tone. Jade stomped her boot.

"F! I know!" she shouted at Sikowitz. She glared one last time at Tori and pursed her lips. If looks could kill, Tori would be dead ten times over. Jade walked over Beck and stomped back to her seat. She was livid. She had never lost any acting challenge – ever. She didn't lose anything. And yet, she had lost. Tori remained standing on stage, arms crossed, smiling widely. Tori had wanted to clear the air with Jade, but she would settle for proving that she was just as talented as everyone else. Tori was beaming.

Tori's focus was brought back to class by Sikowitz clapping his hands with a prompt to continue the scene. Tori reached down, grabbing Beck's outstretched arm. "Get up, alien," she said, pulling him to his feet.

"Head...feels dizzy," Beck said slowly and blinked his eyes several times. Tori looked away from Beck, a sudden idea striking her as she planned out the next few letters. Tori had a wicked, awful, mean idea. She shouldn't do it. But then she remembered the coffee yesterday and how proud Jade looked when she called Tori a "dog" and her resolve disappeared. Jade deserved this. Tori grinned as she looked back at Beck.

"I know what will make you feel better," she said coyly. From her seat, Jade's eyebrows raised in concern. Jade knew Tori was a threat, dangerous even, and she couldn't miss Tori's tone. The girl was plotting something terrible.

"What is she playing at?" Jade thought to herself, panic rising in her chest. Beck looked at Tori, confusion plastered across his face.

"Jumping jacks?" he asked, smiling nervously. Tori smiled widely and looked Beck in the eyes.

"Kiss me," she said plainly.

Jade's back involuntarily straightened, pulling her upright. She stared at the stage, unable to make a sound. Tori was punishing her, taking her revenge for yesterday, but certainly Beck wouldn't...

"Let's do it," came Beck's eager reply. Tori grinned as he leaned in and they shared a stage kiss, their hands reaching up to hold each other's necks. Jade's mouth dropped open as Beck eagerly smashed his face against Tori's. Jade's internal voice was screaming rage and she dug her nails into her legs through her jeans. So many emotions were tearing through Jade that she was practically paralyzed. All her fears about Tori were validated, this girl who burst into Jade's space and threatened to push her away with foreign solar wind. Jade felt betrayed by Beck, the only person she had ever allowed in close to her. And in return, he just willingly and easily threw her aside. This was worse than the Big Showcase; her threat and her confidante, her boyfriend, active participants in a scene meant to ruin her. Jade would cry if she wasn't so furious. She was intimidated by Tori before, maybe even a little afraid of the girl. Now, Jade **hated** Tori Vega.

In that moment, Tori was emotionally Jade's opposite. As Beck and her broke the stage kiss, she barely registered the cheering of the class. Grinning, she couldn't help but respond in the spirit of the improv scene. "Man, I love this school..." she released, satisfied. She took a deep breath, grinning excitedly at the cheering class. Sikowitz was clapping along as he stood up. The exercise had gone on far longer than he anticipated, but it was a better lesson than he planned for. He sent Tori and Beck back to their seats as he asked for another set of volunteers.

Tori practically bounced back to her seat, high-fiving Andre on the way. Jade continued to stare daggers at the her, which Tori purposefully ignored. As Tori sat down, Jade tore her gaze away from the girl and focused instead on the back of Beck's head. Beck had sat in the front row today, and Jade was now glad for it. She couldn't promise she wouldn't have buried her scissors in Beck's thigh if he sat down next to her after that performance. If Beck thought their recent fighting was bad, he hadn't seen anything yet. Jade was in pain, and she was going to ensure Beck suffered for it.


	4. Chapter 4

Jade ignored her phone for the fifth time that day. She knew it was Beck, and she knew she could not deal with him right now. She had woken up early that Saturday and evacuated the house quickly. Jade frowned as she posted a status update, "Got a haircut today. Didn't even hurt. Such a waste of time." She sipped her coffee as the message posted to her page on TheSlap. Jade had settled in a coffee shop near her house, and she was telling herself that she wasn't suffering. She fidgeted her other hand, clenching it into and out of a fist.

The past week had been awful. Jade was so upset, so angry with Beck after he kissed Tori on Tuesday that she didn't speak to him for the rest of the day. Or Wednesday. Before she realized it, she was walking out of Hollywood Arts on Friday afternoon and she hadn't spoken with Beck once. On a whim, she decided this morning it was time to have her hair touched up, but that was just an excuse to leave the house. Weekends were usually reserved for time with Beck, but now...

Jade sighed and unclenched her fist. Alone in the coffee shop, she didn't have to hide her emotions. She could grieve in her natural way, a hot drink in hand and a soft cloth booth to slump into by herself. Jade had to wear so many masks on a daily basis, and sometimes it was difficult for her to tell when she was acting and when she wasn't. She knew – thought her relationship with Beck wasn't an act. That she was enjoying herself. Jade absentmindedly scrolled through social media updates. Her eyes skimmed across a post she had authored last night after midnight. The post read, "Sometimes I think that I'm having fun and then I realize I'm not." Above and below that entry was a picture of Cat laughing excitedly and an image of Tori smiling with Andre at school.

Jade suddenly slammed her phone face down onto the table, retracting her hand as if it burned her. The hum of the coffee shop continued on, unaware or uncaring of Jade's outburst. Jade rubbed her wrist for self-comfort. The world was conspiring against her. If she avoided Beck, somehow she couldn't avoid Tori. Jade had no interest in speaking with Tori, and that seemed to suit the newcomer just fine, but Jade couldn't help but occasionally glance at the girl earlier that week. Tori hadn't said a word to Jade, and Jade didn't think she deserved an apology or anything. But Tori was acting like Jade didn't exist, and Jade was acting like Beck didn't exist, and Jade was so _tired_ of acting. The stage gave her somewhere to be someone else, but acting out your own life every day was exhausting. Jade needed a break.

She took a shaky breath as she centered herself and picked up her phone. She needed to allow Beck to apologize, then she needed to remind him that he belonged to her. Jade's breathing and mind slowly relaxed. Stern, jealous Jade was needed to keep Beck in his place by her side. Without Beck, Jade would be completely alone. Not just on a Saturday in early Spring, when everyone else was out enjoying themselves, but always. Jade couldn't handle being alone. Not after her parent's divorce. She dialed Beck's number. Jade hated talking on the phone.

Tori was relaxing at home, organizing her thoughts after her first week at Hollywood Arts. She had been nervous, but she had turned it around and the remainder of the week was amazing. She was barely ready to head home after the final bell Friday, and she sought out extra time with Andre over the weekend. He couldn't, but he shared a small secret with Tori.

"Actually, I need to finish the music to a new play coming up this semester. It's a musical, and you'd rock the lead. You'll see Monday – it's called Moonlight Magic. You should audition," he told her before they parted ways Friday afternoon. Tori trusted Andre's opinion and resolved to audition for the part. She smiled to herself. She was going to spend every day showing she belonged at Hollywood Arts, and she knew she would shine. Tori pulled herself off the couch and made her way upstairs to her room. Tori was in a singing mood and she loved everything about feeling that way.

* * *

Another Monday, another mask. Jade took a deep breath and steeled herself as she entered the school. Beck had, of course, apologized, and Jade had decided the best way to move forward was to concentrate on school. After all, there was one focal point in the distance she could count on – she was going to achieve stardom. But that wouldn't happen if she let herself lose sight of the horizon, and so she had reset herself. As she walked through the hall, she passed Tori; the girl was struggling with too many books. One guilty pleasure was permitted, she decided.

"Need some help?" Jade asked sweetly, walking up to Tori. The overburdened girl looked briefly relieved. Maybe Jade was going to give her a chance to make up?

"Yes," Tori breathed out. Jade kept walking, never making eye contact.

"Interesting," she responded flatly. She didn't see Tori roll her eyes in exasperation.

"Or maybe she won't," Tori thought to herself as she continued to struggle with her books and locker.

Sikowitz's lesson this morning was focused on sight reading a script. The teacher paired up his students at random, and Jade found herself accompanied by Cat. Jade had known Cat for years, and she knew the girl was flaky at best. Jade also know that Cat could convincingly act, so she wasn't a terrible partner. And Jade could deal with anyone who wasn't Tori.

After spending most the class preparing, it was Jade and Cat's turn to perform their scene. The script was ridiculous, but that didn't matter. The process of preparing and reading through the script several times had given Jade all the fuel she needed. She slipped into her role and lost herself in the scene. She felt pretty good about the whole exercise until an inflatable green ball interrupted her vision and smashed Cat in the face, dropping the poor redhead to the floor. Jade blinked, coming to her senses.

"Sikowitz!" she yelled at him. She was in the zone and it always startled her to be pulled back into the present. She didn't even notice Cat bump into her as the girl stood back up.

"It really hurt!" Cat said, rubbing her face. Sikowitz rolled his eyes as the bell rang. Cat's mood immediately shifted. "Oh, lunch! Yay!" she announced, grinning ear to ear. She bounced off the stage and out of the classroom. Jade rolled her eyes, sighing as she grabbed her bag and followed suit. She intentionally walked quickly to get ahead of Tori, and she didn't look back at Beck. She expected he'd be along quickly. As a result, Jade didn't hear Beck invite Tori to lunch with them. The only reason Tori wouldn't be joining them would be Sikowitz's interruption, as the same inflatable ball violently bounced off the wall near Tori's head.

"We need to chat," Sikowitz said flatly. Andre and Beck quickly ducked out of the class, leaving Tori alone with their esoteric teacher. Sikowitz had heard Tori intended to audition for Moonlight Magic, and agreed she should audition, but not until she passed 'The Bird Scene'. He handed Tori a copy of the short scene, and Tori looked critically at it. She hadn't planned for this, but that was okay. She flipped open the book and started skimming the opening lines. Tori left class and headed to lunch, late and alone. She grabbed a sandwich from The Asphalt Cafe and headed to an empty classroom to eat and catch up on social media.

"Must learn 'the bird scene' - - p.s. My teacher throws balls at people :o" she posted, taking the final bite of her sandwich and opening up the book again. If she had to pass this scene first, then that was what she would do. Tori couldn't let Andre down.

For different reasons, Jade followed a similar pattern as Tori that day. Beck hadn't caught up to her, and that was fine – Jade was still a little upset with him, but it was fading. Jade got a salad from the Cafe and went to a study hall to eat in silence. Sikowitz had announced as class ended that tomorrow they would need to perform their sight-read scenes without their scripts, so Jade needed to commit her lines to memory. Even if Cat couldn't, Jade was going to nail her part in the exercise, like she usually did.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully for both of the girls. That evening, they'd both spend most of their time practicing for their respective roles. Jade would prepare confidently, while Tori would rehearse nervously.

* * *

"Trina! We have to go!" Tori shouted anxiously from the front door. Trina slowly sauntered downstairs without an modicum of urgency.

"You can't rush perfection, Tori, so that means you can't rush me. Besides, we'll get there before the second bell," Trina nonchalantly responded. Tori shook her head in disagreement. She couldn't believe her sister most times.

"We're twenty minutes late and we haven't even left yet," she countered. "Please, Treen, I have to do the bird scene today, and I'm already nervous. Can we please just go?" she practically begged. By that point, Trina was already at the front door. Tori truly couldn't rush Trina, no matter what she tried. Tori just hoped she could sneak into class without anyone noticing.

Luck was on Tori's side that morning. Sikowitz was late to class, which wasn't unusual, and had engaged the class in a runaway drive-by acting exercise. Jade slightly grinned as Sikowitz announced it. She enjoyed these spontaneous prompts. It pushed her to quickly invent a character with little preparation or expectation. "Angry Englishmen" was an easy character for Jade and, after shouting at her partner and everyone else, she plopped back down into her chair with a satisfied smile.

No one noticed Tori come into class as Sikowitz called for quiet. Tori quietly shut the door and slipped into an open seat at the back of the class. Within a moment of taking her seat, Sikowitz called on Tori to perform her scene. Tori bounced up quickly and walked to the stage at the front of the class. Jade glanced at Tori from her peripheral vision. As Tori passed her, Jade tilted her head upwards, ready to judge Tori's performance.

"No one ever passes the Bird Scene on the first try," Jade thought to herself. "Not even Miss Sunshine can do this." These thoughts were barely combating the nervousness starting to ferment beneath the surface. Jade unconsciously crossed her arms. If Tori actually pulled this off, what would Jade do?

"Um, can I ask you a quick question before I start?" Tori asked Sikowitz. Tori wanted to know how Sikowitz was evaluating the performance so she'd know if she passed the scene or not. Before Sikowitz could respond, Tori's attention was drawn to Jade in the front row.

"UGGH," Jade obnoxiously groaned, throwing her head back. Tori stared at Jade in disbelief. Did the girl really have to make it harder to concentrate than it already was? Acting in front of her peers still wasn't comfortable or typical to Tori yet. Jade just wanted Tori to get on with it. She wanted to see Tori flop and make the one mistake you can't make in this scene, just so Jade would have first-hand proof that Tori was human and imperfect. Jade desperately needed that evidence.

"Just do your best. Action!" Sikowitz answered Tori and sat down to watch.

"Okay!" Tori called out in exasperation. She sat down the book and launched into the scene. The words she had practiced came easily to her, and she even managed to include the emotional inflections she wanted to make sure came across. The old women in the scene clearly yearned for answers, and she would be devastated when her only companion left. The scene was short, and Tori couldn't help but notice that this was so much different from singing. She wasn't falling into it like music; she was aware of everything as she moved and spoke. Tori did her best to look around the room as she performed, while avoiding looking at any of her classmates in the eyes. She did all right, although she definitely looked Jade in the eyes at one point and mentally stumbled as a result. As she concluded the scene, she lowered her head to indicate she was finished. When several moments passed in silence, she lifted her head slightly and looked through one eye at Sikowitz.

"How was that?" Tori asked in a hopeful tone. Sikowitz's flat response caught her off guard.

"What do you mean?" Tori's smile faltered.

"Did I do the scene right?" she clarified. Sikowitz stood up.

"Oh, no. Not at all," he deadpanned. Sikowitz led Tori back to her seat. "You'll have to perform the scene again tomorrow and get it right, or else you can not be in Andre's play or any other." Tori was aghast. No one in the class responded in any way, Sikowitz was dismissing her and she didn't even know what she did wrong! How was she supposed to learn from failure with no feedback? As Sikowitz called for another drive-by acting exercise, Tori flopped into her seat, distraught. It wasn't fair. She spent the rest of class replaying the scene in her mind. What did she do wrong?

Jade breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes as Tori walked back to her seat. Jade received her much needed fix. Tori wasn't perfect, after all. In fact, Tori's flaws were becoming clearer to Jade. The girl was myopic and hyper-fixated; she was the type of person to miss the forest for the trees. Jade could use that, and she expected there was a lot more to learn.

As class ended, Tori rushed to catch up to the group as they made their way towards their lockers. She whined about the scene, still unbelieving that no one would help.

"I thought you guys were my friends," she lamented. Jade watched the girl carefully as she lamented. Flaw number two – Tori was desperate to belong, and she'd be lost if she was isolated. Jade grinned as she leaned away, pulling Beck with her towards the vending machines.

"I'm not your friend," she responded sweetly. The added insult was pulling Beck with her, leaving Tori just with Cat and Robbie near her side. Tori rolled her eyes, unsurprised by Jade's insistence. When was she going to give Tori an opening to course-correct with her?

"Number one rule of the Bird Scene," Beck responded, walking back towards Tori's locker with Jade. "No one's allowed to help you." Beck was firm about keeping in the rules of the class, but he didn't like that Jade was taking out her irritation with him on the new girl. The Bird Scene was hard for everyone, and Jade didn't need to make it even more difficult. Tori sighed in resignation. At least now she understood her friends' behavior, and for now that was enough.

Jade was further frustrated with Beck supporting Tori. It would have suited her better if Tori thought they were being unhelpful on purpose. New plan. Jade looked at Tori's locker, where a whiteboard was hung. All the other lockers were personally and artfully decorated, as another tradition at Hollywood Arts was each student would personalize their locker in a way that was reflective of themselves. Tori's locker clearly stood out, as it was not personal nor artful. Jade decided to push for finding a third flaw.

"So, this is what you did with your locker?" Jade asked in a tone meant to convey genuine curiosity. She wanted Tori to explain so Jade could learn what drove Tori's behavior. Tori slightly smiled, glad for the chance to explain her thoughts. She explained she put it there so anyone can draw or say whatever they want.

"Yeah, but you're supposed to decorate it yourself," Beck smiled and offered a good-nature challenge to Tori. Tori frowned, not understanding Beck's push.

"What's wrong with letting other people be expressive on my locker?" she asked, turning to Cat and Robbie. Jade saw an opening and moved quickly. She grabbed a red marker and wrote in big letters "STUPID" on the whiteboard. She replaced the marker and walked off with Beck before Tori could turn around. She vaguely heard Tori shout at her as she left, but she grinned to herself and didn't turn around. Beck shook his head, but he still went with her. Jade would get bored of irritating the new girl soon, he hoped.

Tori frowned as she removed the dry erase bored. She was left alone, and no one was going to help her. She also didn't appreciate Robbie calling her whiny, but he wasn't wrong. Tori steeled herself. She would practice the scene the rest of the day in order to nail it tomorrow. If no one was going to help her, she'd just have to be better prepared for tomorrow. Throughout the rest of the day and in-between classes, Tori re-read the scene and took a lot more notes about the setting and intention behind the dialogue.

At home that evening, she decided a backdrop and a few props would help sell her commitment to the scene. She gathered a few items and, for good measure, decided a little bribery wouldn't hurt. She had seen Sikowitz drinking from coconuts since her first day, so she bought two large ones for him. As she wrapped up practicing late that evening, she posted an update to her social media; "So ready for The Bird Scene this time. Gonna KILL IT".

Meanwhile, Jade was preparing for a different project that evening. Jade had noticed several aspects about Tori today that she had missed before. "Not missed," she mentally corrected herself. She had not been actively looking at the girl before today. She had new information now, so a change in strategy was warranted. Clearly, this past weekend proved she couldn't ignore Tori, but she could subtly feed the girl's insecurities and keep her distracted. If Tori was unhappy, she would be less of a threat. Jade began a mental catalog of Tori's behavior, motivation and insecurities. More careful observation, not avoidance, was going to be key in her plan's success. But, the plotting girl reminded herself, she would keep a healthy distance, lest Tori's growing gravity pull Jade into orbit or death-spiral.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you again for all the views, reviews and comments. As one reviewer brought to my attention, I was especially surprised to see this story linked on AllTheTropes. To the individual who found and linked my story, I'm very appreciative - thank you!**

* * *

Tori was early to class the next morning. She set up the backdrop over the whiteboard and carefully staged the stuffed bird on a pulley. Having finished her preparations, she was chatting with Robbie when Beck entered the class. Beck wanted to make sure Tori felt confident to continue; Jade could be pretty discouraging.

"So. You ready?" he asked, clasping his hands together. Jade glared at Beck and walked over to him. First thing in the morning, he hadn't even greeted her yet, and he was speaking with Tori? What was his deal? Jade leaned against him, wrapping her arm around his shoulder to remind him she was there and his focus was misplaced. Tori ignored Jade's possessive behavior, her focus on her upcoming performance.

"Oh, I am way past ready," Tori confidently responded. "Sikowitz wants the bird scene? I'm gonna give him the bird scene." Tori's innuendo was not lost on Jade, who lifted an eyebrow in surprise. Not a flaw, but a new observation – Tori was clever and capable of subtlety. Jade found herself appreciating the joke that passed over Robbie and Beck's head. "To kiss up a little, I even got Sikowitz two large coconuts," Tori continued, holding up the two fruits and smiling mischievously. Beck pointed between the two of them.

"Those are good ones," he said flatly. Jade glared at Beck, wondering if he meant it as suggestively as it sounded. Tori glanced at Jade, unsurprised to find her glaring at her boyfriend, before shrugging at Beck, unsure of how to respond to the poorly-phrased support. Tori passed it off and set down the coconuts. The bell rang and Sikowitz finally entered the classroom.

As the first order of business, he called for Tori to complete the scene. Tori bounced up quickly and grabbed the two coconuts. Jade watched Tori bend over and grab the coconuts and didn't catch herself subtly checking Tori out. She was observing her, so it was natural she'd pay attention to the girl's habits, behaviors and dress. She needed to understand Tori so she could hit at the heart of the girl's insecurities and fears. Jade carefully watched Tori throughout the rest of her performance.

Tori approached Sikowitz, holding out the coconuts. "Before I begin, I'd like you to have these two large coconuts," she said with a genuine smile. Sikowitz looked on reverently.

"Wonderful. You know, their milk gives me visions," he responded, staring at them. Tori nodded.

"I've heard," she affirmed. Jade was smiling at the attempted bribery. She was even a little impressed. Tori pulled off that exchange naturally and without any air of impropriety. Another new observation - Tori wasn't as innocent as she first appeared, and she hid it very well. Jade's stomach fluttered, a nervous energy starting to fill her; she realized that Tori had a talent for acting that, although not as pronounced as her singing, was still a threat to Jade.

Tori approached the stage, ready to perform. She pulled out the backdrop, letting it unfurl into view. It was very well made, almost professional, and she smiled expectantly at the audience. The class looked on, most of them impressed. Jade's eyes were wide in surprise, amazed at how good that backdrop was. "She did that in one day?" Jade nervously thought.

Tori went through the scene again with far more confidence than yesterday. She was expressive and nimble across the stage, moving naturally in flow with the intent of the scene. As she finished, she smiled at Sikowitz. "So...was that good?" she asked expectantly. Sikowitz's response was as flat and emotionless as the day before.

"What exactly are you asking me?" he asked in return. Tori's smile faltered; she didn't like where this was going.

"You know, did you like what I did with the scene?" she prompted. Sikowitz nodded.

"Sure," he answered carefully. Tori smiled again.

"So, did I get it right?" she asked excitedly. Beck winced and Jade smiled widely, knowing Tori had just crossed the only threshold she wasn't allowed to cross. She had failed. Again. Tori took the news hard, starting to grow indignant. Jade was happy for two reasons; Tori had failed, showing her imperfection, and Jade decided that she liked seeing flustered, angry Tori. The rest of class was delightful for Jade and irritating, at best, for Tori.

Tori spent lunch alone again. She really thought she had nailed the scene this time; she brought props, a setting, she felt like her performance was better than the first time. She picked at her burrito with a plastic fork, appetite non-existent. "What did I do wrong this time?" she gloomily thought, resting her face against a closed fist. She continued to pick at the burrito, her thoughts turning poisonous. "It's not fair," she repeated to herself, now glaring at her disassembled meal. "I can't improve without feedback. How did everyone else do this? Andre, Jade and Beck, sure, but how did..." her thoughts trailed off, an idea forming. She slowly opened her eyes wider, sitting up in her chair. It wouldn't be nice to do it, but Tori was desperate. The bell rang.

"Cat!" Tori sang out excitedly, coming downstairs. She had found the redhead right where she needed her. "You have to try something," Tori stated authoritatively as she pulled out a pair of a handcuffs she kept in her bag. Sometimes having a cop for a Dad came with unique options. Tori lead Cat through the motions of placing the handcuffs on one hand, then to the handrail on the stairs. Tori then pulled out a box of Juu-juu peppers, offering it to the candy-crazy Cat. The girl predictably grabbed a few and tossed them into her mouth.

"These are so...so hot!" Cat shouted, panic setting in. "They're burning my mouth!"

"I know...want some water?" Tori asked in mock concern. Cat nodded quickly, reaching for the bottle before Tori withdrew it. "Tell me the secret of the bird scene!" Tori demanded. Cat shook her head, looking pathetic.

"I can't, and I need water!" she begged, staring at Tori with a pained gaze. Tori couldn't stand actually watching the girl suffer and stomped in frustration before handing the water over to her. Her plan ruined, she quickly retreated, leaving Cat handcuffed to the railing. Tori threw her books angrily into her locker, noticing a moment later that Beck had leaned into the adjacent locker. After two failures, most students could become a little erratic. Beck wanted to make sure Tori was resolved to keep trying.

"Have you figured out how you're going to decorate it yet?" Beck asked, looking at Tori's locker. The girl needed a distraction, and this was good as any. Tori sighed in exasperation, pointing to the bright pink strip she added to the center. Beck nodded unconvincingly, acknowledging he saw the stripe. Tori folded her arms and sighed again, leaning up against the locker.

"Well, I don't know what to do," she whined. Beck rolled his eyes.

"Why don't you do something...creative? And deep?" he suggested. Tori didn't understand and asked him to show her his locker. Beck led her over to it and showed off the clear plexiglass cover.

"Clear?" Tori asked, confused. Beck held up a finger to correct her.

"Transparent," he gently corrected, repeating an often practiced line. "I've got no secrets and neither does my locker," he offered in a well-rehearsed tone. Tori finally caught on.

"Oh, that is creative and deep," she yielded. Beck shrugged, barely holding back a smile. Tori heard Cat still struggling on the stairs behind her, which reminded her of her failed attempt. Tori's mind instantly shifted gears and she leaned closer to Beck, her tone softening. "So, about the bird scene..." she started. Beck reached out with one hand and placed it against the side of her head affectionately.

"Later," he said, turning to leave as the bell rang. Tori, distressed, watched Beck leave before soon following suit.

Meanwhile, Jade also watched Beck leave from her vantage point high on the stairs. Jade was also distressed but where Tori was lamenting, Jade was fuming. She was on her way from the other study hall when she saw Tori and Beck round the corner towards Beck's locker, and she intentionally kept out of sight. Why was Beck going out of his way to keep in contact with Tori? And what was with that little reaching motion? Jade stomped to class angrily, her thoughts becoming her own worst enemy.

Tori spent another class hyper-focused on her failure in the bird scene. She didn't register anything about class and rushed out after she had realized she had one last-ditch effort. She was so excited by the potential for this last plan to work, she even posted it to her social media. "Just thought of a way to find out WHAT'S UP with The Bird Scene..." she wrote. Robbie would never be able to resist her.

She found him in front of his grotesque childhood memory of a locker. Hearing that Robbie couldn't drop out of ballet without earning a zero, Tori quickly found the ammunition she needed. Offering a wide smile, Tori replied sweetly. "Well, I'm sorry you're feeling stressed." Tori reached out and began rubbing it through the side of Robbie's hair. Robbie began to relax into her touch, Rex chiming in nervously that the situation was weird. Tori glared at him and made a "shh" noise. She smiled back at Robbie, turning the conversation. "Hey, you know what's making me feel stressed?" she asked innocently.

Robbie's response was gruff and sudden. "Tell me, I'll kill it," he stated emphatically.

Tori reached out with her other hand, caressing Robbie's arm. "It's this whole bird scene thing," she whined, practically begging. Rex huffed.

"See, there it is, the ulterior motive," he stated accusingly. Tori glared at him, quickly throwing a hand over his mouth.

"Hush puppet!" she commanded roughly. She tried one more time to beg for Robbie's help before pulling her hand back with a screech. Rex had bitten her and demanded Robbie take him to the bathroom. Robbie ran off, leaving a confused and hurt Tori standing in the middle of the hallway. Tori growled and smacked Robbie's locker in frustration before leaving for her last class of the day. "Now what do I do?" she glumly thought.

Distracted as Tori was, she didn't notice Beck and Jade speaking animatedly near Beck's locker and passed right by them. Jade was talking sternly, but Beck's refusal to answer her questions had her heated.

"What's the problem?" he asked in a bored tone. Jade grit her teeth.

"I hate repeating myself, Beck. The problem is you constantly seeking out Ms. Sunshine," she said as sternly as possible. Beck furrowed his brow.

"Who?" he asked oblivious.

"NO!" Jade quickly shouted, losing her cool for a brief moment before pulling herself back together. "No, Beck. No more questions," she said before taking a softer, more pleading tone. "Please. Just, stay away from her?" Jade was staring at Beck, waiting for his compliant reply. Beck sighed.

"Fine, Jade. I won't spend time with her alone," he affirmed. Jade nodded once, but she didn't smile or say another word. She turned on the spot and headed to her final class of the week. Jade was not looking forward to this weekend. Again. Jade hated fighting with Beck.

As the final bell of the day rang, Tori emerged from her class with a fierce gleam in her eye as she strode to her locker with purpose. She had spent most of her last class chastising herself; she had been acting like a spoiled brat and she realized it midway through her pity-party. She knew better than to try to cheat, and it's not like anyone else at this school hadn't figured out the "Bird Scene". She was once again determined to show she belonged; cheating past the assignment would only prove the opposite. She'd prepare all weekend if she had to. She'd go overboard – costumes, sound, props; whatever it took to show she was talented and valuable and deserved to be at this school. Tori didn't even wave goodbye to Andre as she pushed through the double doors and headed for Trina's car.


	6. Chapter 6

Brow furrowed in concentration, Jade continued writing amidst the buzz of the coffee shop. She didn't want to spend another Saturday alone, but if she had to be here she was going to make the most of it. She picked up her coffee in her free hand and took a sip, still writing in a frenzy. This week had revealed so much to Jade about the threat that was Tori. So much the girl probably didn't even realize and hopefully she never would. Jade was starting to piece together a plan, but she needed to see Tori again. Jade blinked. "No, that's not right," she mentally corrected herself. She needed to observe her more to gain more information; the plan needed to be perfect. Jade had decided the reason she failed on Tori's first day was because she reacted blindly – she didn't know Tori was combative and competitive. She wouldn't make that mistake again. Tori couldn't be the victim; she needed to be her own executioner. The sun was setting. Jade kept writing.

Tori's feet throbbed. She had practiced the Bird Scene at least a dozen times today until she was confident she was making the same exact motions, the same number of steps, the same tone of voice every single time. When she finally felt like her own motions and voice were controlled, she got to work on the dressings. Tori worked in a fervor; Sikowitz wouldn't dare tell her she didn't get it right this time. She had the backdrop from yesterday ready to go, and she was sewing together her new dress. Her mom hadn't questioned her when Tori flatly stated they needed to go to the local craft store last night after school. She had that dangerous, focused look that Tori only occasionally exhibited. Holly knew that meant Tori would be hyper-focused until they took care of whatever was on Tori's mind; there was no use arguing.

Tori blew hair out of her eyes. She really ought to just pin it back, but the small action was comforting as she kept working on the sewing machine. She wouldn't finish until after midnight. And tomorrow she would need to pick up her special friend from the pet store. It was a good thing her father was friends with the local businesses.

* * *

Monday morning was a shock to Jade as she entered Sikowitz's class. Someone had hung stage curtains and fully blocked the stage at the front of the class. Before she could question it, Robbie and Andre entered the room walking bow-legged and appearing in extreme pain. Jade wanted to question it and delight in their suffering, but just as quickly her thoughts were pulled to the classroom door as Sikowitz burst into the room. Jade sat down, looking at Sikowitz expectantly.

"Where's Tori?" he asked the class. Jade frowned. Why was everyone always looking for Tori? Jade was just as surprised as Sikowitz when a determined face broke through the curtains. He let out an audible gasp. "You brought curtains," he dumbly stated. Tori stared at him, face and mouth set rigidly.

"Let's do this," she responded roughly. Jade stared at the girl. She was so different than last week. Did she have an identical twin? Jade blinked back her shock, recovering slowly. She put on a bored face; she would not allow Tori to get into her head and under her skin.

The curtains withdrew, revealing a professional scene. The backdrop from last week was in place, but so was a leafless tree, a weather vane and an old table and chair. There was even ambient music coming from a stereo off-scene. Staged in the center was Tori, adorned in glasses, her hair down and barely styled. She was wearing a purple dress that looked every bit the time period. Tori began the scene. She commanded the room; everyone followed her in awe. Jade couldn't help but stare during the entire performance. When Tori whistled and a bird, an actual live bird, flew in through the window, Jade almost lost control of her jaw. This wasn't possible. Jade was dreaming.

Except she wasn't. Tori finished her scene, the picture of confidence. To the point that Sikowitz, who wasn't supposed to say anything, stood up smiling. "That was impressive," he praised. Tori mistook the praise for approval, smiling widely and asking that fatal question.

"So did I get it right?" she asked enthusiastically. Sikowitz's face dropped.

"Nope," he said, tone dropping to disappointment.

Jade finally allowed herself a breath and an easy smile. Tori had been brilliant, amazing even. But she still didn't understand the point. She was still predicta-

"I did too get it right!" Tori shouted from the stage, interrupting Jade's thoughts. Sikowitz jumped in to play damage control, but Tori was inconsolable. "I'm not trying to be disrespectful, but do you know how **hard** I worked on this scene?!" she lamented. "I **made** this costume, I downloaded special prairie music, I even trained that crazy cockatoo to fly in and out of that window on command!" she continued. Just then, the bird flew back in the window and perched once again on the weather vane. Tori turned to face the bird. "NOT NOW!" she growled at the bird, scaring it off. Jade bit back a breath, her stomach fluttering. "The scene I just did was good! And I'm proud of it, no matter what anybody thinks!" Tori finished, frowning at Sikowitz and crossing her arms.

Jade sat back in her chair, reluctantly clapping as the rest of the class broke into applause. Tori was confused as she looked around for explanation. "What?" she asked, expectantly. Sikowitz grinned broadly and motioned wildely.

"You just passed the Bird Scene!" he shouted at her in congratulations. Jade dropped her head and continued clapping, hiding her face. She would not give Tori the satisfaction of seeing her conflicted, wide and sad smile. If there was any doubt before, that performance erased it. Jade now knew, in that moment, that Tori was a budding supernova. Jade didn't have much time left. This girl was going to explode onto the scene, and Jade didn't have a chance. She would be consumed. And yet, her stomach still fluttered. Tori's performance had moved her, and she was desperately trying to deny that. It was jealousy – that's it. Jade was broken from her thoughts by Sikowitz clapping and calling for a drive-by acting exercise. She welcomed the distraction.

For the first time, Tori leaped into the drive-by acting exercise. She was among peers. She belonged. As she took her seat, she had to quickly post on TheSlap to explain her elation. "FINALLY... I... AM... VICTORIOUS!" she posted before setting her phone back in her bag. Sikowitz's class was the most enjoyable it had ever been. As the class drew to an end, Andre reminded Tori of the last call for auditions for Moonlight Magic this Thursday. Tori slightly frowned. She had been so focused on the Bird Scene, she had completely forgotten about the play Andre had suggested. She only let it pass a moment before smiling at Andre. "Yeah, of course. I can finally audition, so I'll be there. Definitely." Andre smiled, patting her on the shoulder and leaving class. It gave Tori three days – she could do this. Tori skipped lunch that day, choosing instead to focus on preparing for her audition. She'd practice every day, in between classes and during the evening until Thursday night.

Meanwhile, Jade was busy preparing for a different project. Not schoolwork; she was easily caught up and had already prepared for future assignments on the syllabus. As a result, she knew that Liam, the teacher for stunt coaching, was planning to teach their class about stage fighting next week. No, Jade's project was figuring out how to ensure her and Tori were partners next week. She scoffed despite herself. It was obvious to the other students that she detested the girl; no one would ever suspect she arranged everything. And, lucky for Jade, she would find her break when, Wednesday afternoon, Liam stayed behind as the rest of the class filtered out of the theater. Jade quietly approached the podium, and Liam looked up at her.

"Something you need, Jade?" he asked in his typical direct manner.

"In next week's assignment, the new girl, Tori, could use a good, reliable partner. She's new to performing arts. I volunteer to be her partner," she responded with a bored expression and devil-may-care tone. Jade had practiced the line and her facial expressions when delivering it for the last two days. It was important she not look like she wanted this. Liam seemed pleasantly surprised.

"You always did work ahead," he acknowledged. "Nice to see you coming out of your shell, seeing as how you always want to work with Beck. I don't usually accept requests, but I'll make an exception in this case," he said, smiling warmly at Jade. "Keep up the good work, Jade." Jade returned the smile, looking genuine and offered her thanks before leaving the theater. As she left the theater, she closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. Act One complete. Act Two wouldn't arrive until next week. Jade hated waiting.

* * *

Tori was nervous. It was Thursday evening and she had expected the auditions to be scarcely attended since it was last call. She was wrong. The school was almost as full as normal despite the auditions starting after final classes. Worse, Tori didn't recognize any of her classmates among those auditioning. Andre had told her beforehand he wouldn't be there, as he had band practice. Tori sighed. Andre's reassurance was helpful earlier that day, but it wasn't the same as him being there with her. It seemed easier to sing when Andre accompanied her on piano or guitar. Like she wasn't alone against the world.

"Ms. Vega?" a voice called, breaking Tori from her thoughts. She perked up, spotting a teacher's assistant looking at her from the edge of the stage curtain.

"Yes?" she asked in return.

"We're ready for you," the assistant said, turning and leaving Tori alone once again. Tori took a deep breath. She could do this. She belonged at this school. She was going to nail this audition and be the lead in Andre's play.

Tori fought to keep a frown off her face. She knew her audition did not go as well as her performance during The Bird Scene, but she was still disappointed when the teacher acting as cast director let her know the competition for the lead part was fierce and she probably wouldn't obtain the part. She respectfully nodded, but she didn't really know how to respond to rejection in any setting – let alone after auditioning for a play. "O-ok, um. Thanks for your time," Tori forced out, turning to leave.

"Wait," the teacher called back to her softly. Tori complied, turning slightly. "Was this the only play you were auditioning for?" she asked. Tori nodded.

"Yeah, my friend wrote the music, and I thought it would be fun to perform with him," Tori affirmed while nodding. The cast director tilted her head.

"It's just unusual that we see students try out for only one role. While I don't think you'll be a fit for Moonlight Magic, would you like to try out for another role or another play? The lead in "Uptown, Downtown" might interest you – it's a musical," the teacher offered helpfully. Tori perked up. She didn't know she was allowed to audition for multiple plays!

"Uh, I'd love to actually, but I didn't prepare anything for it," she admitted dejectedly. The cast director smiled.

"Hey, it's a school production, not Broadway. You're all here to learn. Look, we have a lot more auditions to see. Take a copy of my script and review it backstage. We'll give you another shot at the end of the night, if you can stick around that long?" she asked. Tori nodded enthusiastically and reached out, accepting the print-out.

"Y-Yeah, I can stick around. Thank you!" she exclaimed, adrenaline returning. She had another chance! She turned to leave and clear the stage for the next audition when the teacher's voice called out again, following Tori's departure.

"Make it shine, girl," the voice called after her. Tori grinned.

* * *

Friday morning flew by. Tori was on cloud nine – she was so pumped after her second audition the night before, so inspired, that she instantly realized what to do with her locker. All her problems the past week had melted away and it was like she could see through the fog again. When Holly picked her up from the late audition last night, Tori asked for an emergency pit-stop at the local craft store for the second time in as many weeks. This time, Tori was eager to share with her mom her plans for her locker. Trina even had to be at school early that morning which, coupled with Tori's study hall period, gave her plenty of time to work on her locker. She was finished by lunch and eager to show it off. As the class before lunch ended, her friends filed into the hallway near her. Tori kept her locker open and hidden until Trina, Beck, Cat and Jade had assembled.

Jade was trying very hard to act bored around Tori. Her plan required Tori to engage with her, and she wouldn't do that if Jade kept lashing out at the girl. So as Beck and Cat showed interest in Tori's locker, Jade had no choice but to show more interest in her coffee than Tori. She also felt a little nervous that Tori would, as usual, show off some perfect piece of work.

"You guys ready?" Tori asked excitedly while grinning. Beck, Cat and Trina all responded kindly and in the affirmative.

"Whatever," Jade responded flatly, looking away from Tori.

Tori closed the locker, showing off the painted exterior. "Make It Shine" was written in bright, bold letters against a dark twilight sky. Trina looked at the locker in confusion.

"Make what shine?" she asked densely. Tori rolled her eyes, not quite believing she had to explain this to her own sister.

"It's the title of the song I sang I the Big Showcase!" Tori explained, exasperated. Once again, Beck, Cat and Trina nodded, affirming her statement. Once again, Jade looked away from Tori.

"Whatever," she repeated, sounding slightly less bored. Tori couldn't believe this.

"Cuz, you know, that's what got me here in the first place?" she tried explaining a different way. Jade pounced, still refusing to look at Tori.

"I don't like it," Jade stated flatly, taking a large sip of coffee. Jade was pretty proud of the double entendre, even though she was having a hard time convincing herself of either meaning. Tori's locker was actually very cleverly done, and it looked nice, but Jade wasn't going to admit defeat even in such small terms. And Jade was "not liking" Tori being at Hollywood Arts less and less. Her plan was now more about survival and maintaining her place in the stars, and less a personal grudge.

Tori glanced at Jade, confused. Jade wasn't being as mean as usual, and she was avoiding Tori's gaze. Tori had noticed Jade looking at her occasionally this past week, and it was odd to see Jade so specifically avoiding her. What had she done now? Tori was distracted by these thoughts and it took her a moment to realize the rest of the group were all suggesting ways to improve her locker. She interrupted them.

"I believe in my own choices, and I don't need approval from others," she stated firmly. Beck and Cat smiled.

"Ah, the young female has learned the ways of the Bird Scene," he responded in an affirming tone. Jade glared quickly at Beck and frowned slightly.

"I still think it's dull," Jade added flatly, looking away again from Tori and the locker. Tori turned and stared directly in Jade's eyes. Jade refused to let her win and stared right back at her.

"Yeah?" Tori asked in quiet challenge. Jade's stomach silently fluttered. Not waiting for a response, she continued, "Well, then maybe I should...Make It Shine!" Tori broke into a grin and pressed a hidden button on the locker, which caused it to light up in brilliant florescent across the stars, words and windows in the buildings. Tori smiled widely at the awestruck noises coming from Beck, Cat and Trina. Jade's shoulders dropped. Did Tori have to be perfect at everything? It was exhausting. Jade had enough.

"Ok, are we going to eat or what?" she asked, throwing her hands up in exasperation. As Cat excitedly followed, Beck stayed for just a moment and turned back to Tori.

"Come with?" he prompted. Tori smiled, nodding.

"Sure," she said confidently. Jade held back at Beck's words, glaring at him. She made sure he saw her glare before turning around and continuing out the door to the Asphalt Cafe. Beck ignored her, hanging back to let Tori catch up to him. Jade kept walking out the door, ignoring both of them. Jade couldn't let her disappointment with Beck over his inability to keep a promise blind her. Jade had to remain focused.

Next week was going to be the most important acting job of her young life. Somehow, Jade knew it was a turning point – next week would begin a runaway reaction that would define her place in celestial space. Her closest heavenly neighbor was preparing to expand with a brightest that would outshine galaxies, and Jade's actions next week would either delay the inevitable, crush the supernova into a black hole or add fuel to the new star and set it off early.

Jade had no idea how right she was.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks again for everyone who has been reading and reviewing this story. I'm a little late on this update, but hoping it will be a nice little Christmas gift for those following along. Happy holidays!**

* * *

"Tori and who?!" Tori practically shouted as she sat straight up in her seat. She glanced over at Jade, panic written all over her face. Ready to answer her was Jade's dangerous closed-mouth smile.

Jade had almost lost it at the start of class - almost ruined her plan before it had begun in earnest. Jade was suspicious of Beck's constant actions to help or be near Tori, so when Tori reciprocated concern for Beck's well-being during the fake fight practice, Jade couldn't help herself from sarcastically asking why Tori cared about Beck's safety. Tori's answer had set her blood boiling.

"Because I figure he already suffers enough pain dating you," she said sweetly, a fake smile plastered wide. Jade lunged at Tori, knowing Beck would stop her. He acted as expected and Jade allowed herself a narrow-eyed glare at Tori as Beck led her to a seat. Damn Tori for being too clever for her own good. Jade would have been impressed with Tori's quick wit had it not been directed at her. Jade talked herself back into control, mentally reviewing the plan again and reminding herself of her long-term payoff. Exacting immediate revenge wouldn't be worth it if she cashed out before the end of this week.

As the class ended, Tori quickly approached Liam who was already busy covering a few notes with Russ, the student trainer. He told her to wait a second, buying time for Jade to sneak up on Tori. Jade put on her best innocent voice.

"Hey partner," she greeted sweetly, reveling in Tori's stuttered movement and careful look over her shoulder. Jade continued, smiling too excitedly. "I can't wait for our fight," she said, preparing to turn away. She caught herself one step back and added, "...scene." With a dangerous smile, she turned and left Tori to flounder. Beck watched the entire exchange, waiting for his girlfriend to finish so he could walk with her out of class. He silently sighed and rolled his eyes at what he saw as Jade's immaturity and jealously, but he didn't say anything and followed her out.

The exchange was all that was needed for validate Tori's fear. Tori began to freak out. Jade had practically just admitted she was going to beat her up! And she was going to do it as part of the class, so no one would suspect anything. As lunch approached, Tori couldn't help but update her social media.

"My life = in DANGER," she posted, still freaking out. On the other side of school, Jade's phone buzzed to alert her to an update on TheSlap. As expected, Tori had aired her emotions to the world. Jade smiled, reading the queue she had predicted as she started towards the Asphalt Cafe. Time for Act 2.

Tori was sitting by herself in the cafe. She had arrived early in the lunch period, and she needed the alone time to talk herself back down from the emotional ledge Jade had driven her to earlier in the day. She half-regretted her post now that she was a little more in control of herself, but she didn't know how to delete updates on TheSlap. As Tori hyper-focused on her sandwich, Jade quietly approached her table. Jade stood there for a few seconds just watching Tori and wondering how long it would take before Tori would notice her presence. Part of Jade was intrigued to so obviously watch Tori, knowing the girl wasn't observant enough to notice her yet. Another part of Jade was irritated that Tori wouldn't immediately be aware of her. But, Jade was willing to wait – the effect was worth it.

"Ah!" Tori gasped, dropping her sandwich and finally noticing Jade hovering nearby. "Jade!" The other girl cracked a smirk, feeling really good all of a sudden.

"Correct," she replied smugly. Tori was practically at a loss for words as she waited for her heartbeat to settle.

"Why are you here?" Tori asked suspiciously. Jade's smirk fell and she resumed a bored expression. She let that smirk slip, but she had business to get to. She mentally scolded herself.

"We have a project due this week," she responded flatly, expressionless, as if that explained everything. Tori didn't entirely follow her.

"And you wanted to work on it now?" Tori asked, still confused by Jade's poor communication. Jade shook her head slightly.

"We share study hall. Tomorrow, we'll work out the scene and rehearse after school. We can use Sikowitz's class – no one will be there. That leaves Thursday to wrap-up details," Jade responded just as she had rehearsed. This is where Jade's planning had to allow flexibility; she did not know how Tori would react to the suggestion of staying after school with Jade, alone. She needed to carefully balance Tori's emotions between safety and panic – right now she needed Tori to feel safe with her.

Tori's breath hitched when Jade casually suggested staying after school tomorrow to work on their stage fighting project. In study hall, at least, she'd be surrounded by other people. But Jade had even said no one would be in Sikowitz's class, which meant there would be no witnesses if Jade decided to beat her up there! Panic began to rise in Tori's chest and her breathing elevated.

"Um, tomorrow in study hall should be fine, but I don't know about after school. Trina is my ride, and I'd be putting her out on short notice, and..." Tori continued, not breathing between words. Jade saw she was not getting the Tori she wanted.

"Hey," Jade calmly interrupted Tori's stream of consciousness, forcing the girl to take a breath. "Beck's my ride, and he'll be there. We'll drop you off after rehearsal," Jade presented in prepared tones. She was equipped to deal with panicked Tori – she was just hoping she wouldn't have to use Beck's presence like that. She didn't like how attached those two were becoming, and she didn't want to reinforce it. But, she needed to use a small advantage now to complete her plans to keep Tori restrained. C'est la vie.

Tori's breathing slowed once again. She had watched Jade carefully and in slight shock. Jade was never this calm or this relaxed. The girl almost seemed bored, like this was just – Tori's face fell. She was being stupid. This was just a normal assignment, and it was Tori who was emphasizing it as something more. Sure, Jade had teased her in class, but Tori was the one who over-reacted at just being assigned to be her partner. Jade was playing off Tori's energy and Tori had taken it way too far. Tori sighed.

"Yeah, yeah that makes sense. Okay, Jade. See you in study hall tomorrow," Tori responded, a small smile gracing her lips despite her underlying anxiety. Jade had to pull herself back from another edge. The mere mention of Beck's name had calmed down Tori far more effectively than she had considered, sealing in Jade's mind that Tori had eyes for the boy. Not trusting herself to avoid growling out an answer, Jade nodded at Tori's agreement to their plans and turned on the spot, walking away from the table. With her back turned and several steps away, Jade allowed herself a deep breath and sigh. She needed coffee. Damn Beck for getting her hooked on the stuff, and damn him for his interest in Tori.

* * *

Tori entered the study hall, searching for Jade. Before Jade had mentioned it the day prior, Tori actually hadn't realized they shared a study hall. But now it was pretty obvious the hole where other students refused to sit, leaving Jade to herself. Tori walked over to her, smiling and offered a slight wave.

"Hey," she greeted Jade. Jade didn't return the greeting.

"Sit," she responded flatly, motioning at a nearby chair. Tori found this curious, but didn't take it to heart. She had never really had a chance to speak with Jade one-on-one – maybe this is how the girl communicated with others? Tori took a seat.

"So, our project," Tori started, looking at Jade. Jade returned her gaze, still looking bored. "I've never written a scene or anything before, but I have a few ideas," Tori floundered as Jade suddenly turned away from her. Jade reached into her gray tote bag and pulled out a binder, which she placed on the table. It was time for a new test.

"I already wrote the scene," Jade explained calmly. Tori's eyes went wide and she glanced between the binder and Jade. Jade was curious but did not let it show. Would Tori be mad? Upset? How would she react to exclusion on a project?

To Jade's surprise, Tori's response was awe.

"You wrote the entire thing? We were just assigned this yesterday. When did you find time?" Tori gushed, surprised and impressed. Jade shrugged.

"I have several half-finished scenes and scripts. When we get a class assignment, I just have a little work to fit one of them to the requirements of the project," Jade explained in simple, measured tones. She didn't really see the reaction she wanted, so maybe with a little more information Tori would react a little stronger. Jade was not expecting the wide smile from Tori.

"That's amazing," she complimented. "Can I read it?" she asked excitedly. Jade complied, sliding it over to her. Jade felt an unfamiliar pull in her chest, compelling her to break away from her rehearsed lines.

"You're not mad I wrote the whole thing without you?" Jade asked in a genuinely curious tone. Jade mentally winced – that was way too close to her actual emotions for her liking. Tori looked up from the script, having read through the first few lines. Again with that smile.

"No, not at all. I've never done this before, so if I can focus on acting this out correctly and setting the scene with costumes and props, I think that's how I'll contribute to our project," she responded, returning to reading the scene. Jade remained silent and allowed the girl to finish her read-through. Jade was preoccupied with her thoughts, anyway. She needed to focus on the project now. Yes, she had her plan of course, but she still needed to convincingly act out the school project, or her plan wouldn't matter.

Tori was very impressed with the scene Jade has prepared. It was brilliant. No one would expect the old woman being robbed would actually be the one to beat down the mugger, and the ending scene with the old women tossing the mugger into the trash in the alley was perfect. There was just one nagging thought in Tori's mind.

"Who did you want to play in this?" Tori asked, a little fear creeping into her question despite herself. Jade quickly, naturally shrugged.

"I don't really care. You're new at this, so pick whatever role you think you'd do best at and I'll take the other one. We get a shared grade on this," Jade replied very carefully. This was a critical moment – Jade needed to make sure her read of Tori was perfect leading up to this decision. It would be very difficult to enact her plan if Tori didn't choose...

Tori smiled. "Ok, I think I could pull off the old woman easier. Let me read through this one more time, and then we can do a live-read of the lines?" Tori suggested. Jade nodded, turning back to another project she was working on. Jade mentally relaxed. Act 3 was nearly finished. The final scene would arrive Friday, and Jade was feeling very confident as each day passed. Her plan was working flawlessly.

* * *

Friday arrived too quickly for Tori's liking. Despite Andre's reassurances at lunch earlier that week, and despite no hint of improper behavior from Jade, Tori was nervous. Something felt wrong, and Tori usually tried to listen to her instincts. The girls had rehearsed again on Wednesday and spent most of Thursday discussing simple costumes and how they would use the props provided by the class. By all accounts, they were well-prepared for the scene. The bell rang and Tori sat down in the back of the theater.

Jade sat up front with Beck, observing the other performances but not really watching. Her mind was split in two different places – one where she was mentally rehearsing the scene for the class project, and another where she was rehearsing the scene for **her** project. Both would come together shortly and how well she sold this performance would either reward all her hard work so far or ruin her. Jade mentally boxed herself in and focused. She was ready when Liam called Tori and her name. It was time. Jade smiled dangerously at Tori. She needed afraid Tori now, and she needed everyone to see that Tori was scared.

Tori was confused. Jade had been calm, collected and easy to work with all week. Now that it was time for the act, though, she was acting more like Tori assumed she would have acted privately. Stand-offish, intimidating, dangerous. Tori felt that familiar well of energy that only anxiety could bring. It was a trick – this entire week was one big act. Jade really was going to hit her for real! Tori nervously walked up to the stage.

"Um, okay. Uh, for our scene, I'm going to be playing an old lady who's walking home from a bingo game," Tori explained, stuttering in concern. She smiled nervously at the class.

"And I play a brutal mugger," Jade explained a little too enthusiastically; it was intentional. She needed to drive Tori to maximum fear. Tori glanced over at Jade, then back to the class.

"Yes. A brutal mugger. Who mugs me. Without actually hurting me," Tori continued, fear taking over. Jade had looked over as Tori started talking, checking the girl out. When she sensed Tori was nearing the end of her nerve-driven statements, she looked up at Tori's face, glaring at her. In her eyes, Jade saw the fear and knew she had Tori right where she wanted her. She turned and walked to the edge of the stage, taking her starting position in the scene. Tori did likewise, listening to Russ explain the safe word for the scene was 'butternut'.

Seeing Jade and Tori in position, Liam prompted them to begin only for Tori to immediately call out.

"Butternut!" she shouted, standing up. Jade stood up, shouting as well.

"What?!" she screamed in frustration. In the back of her mind, she was ecstatic. She hadn't planned for Tori to be this afraid, but it sold the whole plan even further.

"Tori. What's the problem?" Liam asked in his direct way. Tori realized she didn't have any good reason other than her fear, and no one would believe her that Jade was actually going to strike her – no one had so far. On the spot, Tori had to come up with a convincing lie.

"I was testing the safe word. It works!" she cheerfully said, forcing a smile. "Okay, I'm ready," she resigned, face falling.

Liam called for action and Tori fell into character. She walked forward with the assistance of her cane, hunched over and reminiscing about a bingo game. Jade ran up to her, grabbing Tori by the shoulders.

"Gimme your money!" Jade shout-whispered, looking intensely at Tori from behind.

"What?!" Tori screeched loudly, standing up slightly.

"I ain't playin', gimme your money and your watch!" Jade responded firmly.

"Wouldn't you rather have this?" Tori asked suspiciously, leaning forward and standing up straight. In one fluid motion, she twisted around and swung the bottom of the cane at Jade's face. Jade twisted and let out a guttural gasp and scream as she fell to the floor. When she hit the ground on her knees, hard, she quickly slipped the packet of fake blood from her coat pocket and dabbed her eye before slipping it back into her jacket. She stayed for just a moment, allowing the tension in the class to build.

"Butternut!" she shouted, sounding half-way to tears. She stood up, throwing her hat off and shouting it again, allowing the class to see the 'blood' near her eye. Beck rushed over to her side.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned. Jade spun to him.

"No! Tori hit me in the face! For real," Jade accused, angry and hurt.

"No, I didn't!" Tori immediately defended herself. Jade reached up to her face.

"Tell that to my bloody eye! Ahh!" she shouted in pain, leaning back into Beck to really sell her need for comfort. Beck would believe her actions seeking comfort from him, since it was a natural behavior for Jade.

After a mishap with a break away chair, the teacher led Jade to a seat and Russ produced an ice pack. The entire class surrounded her, soothsaying and checking on her. Only Tori stood separate, Andre by her side. Tori looked miserable. Cat walked over to them, looking aghast.

"Why'd you hit Jade in the face with a cane?" she asked accusingly. Tori lashed out.

"I didn't!" she screamed at the little redhead. Cat instantly backed off, slouching down.

"Okay! I believe you! Don't hit me!" she whimpered, holding her hands out defensively. Tori sighed, looking to Andre.

"Will you back me up here?" she asked in a defeated tone. Andre did back her up, explaining to Cat that he's sure Tori didn't mean to hit Jade. Tori growled in frustration again – this isn't what she meant by back-up. "Why does everyone think I hit her?!" Tori practically shouted at Andre. He calmly explained that the entire class saw them perform their scene and at the end, Jade's eye is now bloody.

"Well that doesn't mean I hit her," Tori tried again. Andre looked exasperated.

"I kinda think it does," he flatly responded. Sensing she was getting no where, Tori marched over to Jade. She needed to set the record straight. The cane swung completely through and Tori never felt it connect – she knew she didn't hit Jade.

"Jade, you know I didn't hit you. I swung, but I missed!" Tori firmly stated. Tori's approach was flawed; her frustration leaked through, making her sound angry. Which is exactly what Jade hoped would happen. Jade held up a hand, responding weakly.

"Look, Tori..." she began, but then pretended to be light-headed and fall. Liam and Russ caught her, holding her back up. Tori rolled her eyes, looking away from them. No one was paying Tori any attention. Liam guided Jade to the door, stating they needed to take her to the nurse.

"Can someone call my mom?" Jade asked, leading up to her final crescendo. Beck offered to call and Tori interjected once again.

"She doesn't need her mom. Don't bother her mom!" Tori shouted, pointing at Beck. He looked back at her, looking surprised and hurt.

"I gotta call her Mom," he replied, turning away to follow Jade out of the theater. Tori looked on in shock. As they neared the door, Jade knew it was time for the final line – the statement that would completely seal this performance and turn this entire class against Tori moving forward. It would set her reputation as incompatible, angry, violent and untrustworthy. Tori could stay at Hollywood Arts, but if she was an outcast among her peers, she would never actually belong. And Jade would have no competition from an exile.

Jade turned and looked back at Tori, looking hurt and sad. "And I thought we were just starting to be friends," she said sadly before turning and leaving the theater. The entire class followed Jade out the door, leaving Tori alone in the theater, isolated – an outcast.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry for the small break - holidays are fun but hectic. I'm excited for the chapters that follow. The pace will speed up a bit now that the groundwork has been laid.**

* * *

Tori could not remember a worse weekend. Even though she was en route to her first class of the week, she couldn't help but check her phone for the tenth time that morning alone. The entire class witnessing the "fight" Friday was bad, but the sympathy pouring onto TheSlap was excruciating. Jade had apparently wasted no time notifying the entire school of the incident with a status update.

"I got hit in the eye by TORI," the post read. Simple, vague enough to carry whatever emotion someone wanted to attribute to it; Jade had posted it Saturday morning when she knew people would be catching up on social media. The replies had taken on a life of their own, which suited Jade just fine – she hated talking with people, online or otherwise. To Jade's elation, the theme of the discussion was focused on how few people actually knew Tori outside of her performance in the Big Showcase. Which meant that many peoples' first impression of Tori was now permanently twisted. Jade was actually gleeful. It was the best weekend of her life. Or it would have been, if she wasn't "nursing" an injury and unable to spend that time with Beck.

As expected, Jade's Mom wasn't actually available when Beck tried calling her. Jade knew her Mom would be at work and wouldn't be answering calls. That, too, was exactly what Jade wanted – she didn't need her Mom actually thinking she was injured. Not that she had time to worry about Jade, anyway.

Jade sighed, flipping to another movie, her gleeful attitude subdued to a more comfortable, familiar vacancy.

Despite the lesson she should have been paying attention to, Tori was instead making herself upset reading all the discussion under Jade's post. She had to stop this. A tap on her shoulder got her attention. A student she didn't recognize handed her a note, informing her she was being called to the guidance counselor's office. Tori stared open mouth. She had never gotten into trouble before – not serious enough to be called in for discipline, at least. Awkwardly, Tori stood and gathered her things, shuffling out of the classroom and heading for Lane's office. She felt every pair of eyes in the classroom trained on her as she left.

As she walked, she posted an update on her social media page. Meanwhile, she saw several new updates talking about Jade's injuries and grew frustrated. Tori walked into Lane's office and, looking upset, sat down roughly on the couch. Lane commented that she seemed worried.

"Yeah, well, it's not fun getting called into the guidance counselor's office," Tori lamented, not looking at him. Lane tried to reassure her he was only trying to help her with her violence issues. Tori looked aghast. "I'm not violent!" she replied loudly.

"Tori, I know Jade probably isn't your favorite person," Lane said, avoiding the confrontation.

"More like Jade hates me," Tori thought, but did not vocalize. "So?" she prompted, keeping her response neutral for now.

"Listen, you were under a lot of stress, and you were worried Jade was going to hit you, right?" Lane continued. Tori affirmed he was correct and he continued pensively. "So you were afraid. Your adrenaline was pumping, and maybe, in the heat of the moment, you swung on Jade with that cane for real. Maybe?" Tori sighed.

"I guess it's possible," she conceded.

"Now, don't you feel better admitting that you hit Jade?" Lane tried. Tori had enough – this was going no where. Nobody believed her, and although she admitted it was "possible", she didn't really believe it herself. She knew, deep down, she didn't feel an impact in her hands with that cane. But what was the use in arguing when every fact was stacked against you?

"If I say yes can I go?" Tori asked, exasperated.

"Sure," Lane agreed. Tori nodded.

"Okay, fine, then yes," she quickly said, standing up. Tori was stopped short as the security guard, Derek, prompted Lane to offer a punishment. Tori's face fell.

"What's my punishment?" she asked, resigned.

"Two week detention," Lane flatly responded. Tori whined. "And, Friday night, the middle school is doing a play here in the Black Box theater. It ends in a big food fight scene. You have to clean the theater after the show," he concluded. Tori sighed again, accepting it. She just wanted this behind her.

"I would have said three weeks detention," Derek chimed in. Tori's eyes blazed.

"Derek!" she growled, stepping towards him. Derek's hand fell to his stun gun.

"I'll pull it," he warned, carefully. Tori didn't care anymore.

"I'll pull it," she flatly responded in return, eyes flashing dangerously. Lane stepped in.

"That's all, Tori. You can go," he said, stepping between Derek and Tori. Tori picked up her bag and left in a hurry. She was furious, and as it usually did, her fury was quickly degrading into shame and depression. The class she was pulled from was practically over, so she made a pit stop in a side-hall bathroom. Tori allowed herself some tears of frustration, self-pity welling inside her chest. It wasn't fair that was being punished for something she didn't do. And she was upset with herself – she flew off the handle, allowing her emotions to get the better of her yet again, and in doing so had probably proved exactly what she was arguing against to the guidance counselor. Any moral high ground Tori may have had was gone, and it was her own fault. Tori dabbed her eyes with paper towel, quickly mopping up the tears before they could stain her face. Tori decided that lunch alone would be the best idea today – maybe for the rest of the week. She really didn't want to be around people who she knew were talking about her online, who wouldn't give her a chance to explain or talk to her face.

Jade's practice with stage makeup had paid off in spades. Of course, she had spent weeks practicing to give herself a convincing black eye, and the practice certainly showed. She kept a sour face on all day, lest she betray her excitement over a plan gone flawlessly. But she absolutely noticed the looks in the hallway, the second glances, the gazes that lingered just a moment too long. Everyone noticed her eye. And anyone who had read TheSlap, as most of the students did, knew exactly why she had it.

Still, it was lunch time, and Beck's pity and support was still needed to sell the act. Jade kept her bored, flat expression as she moved salad around on her plate.

"Hey. How you feeling?" Beck asked casually, sitting down adjacent to her. Jade continued staring at the salad she was uninterested in eating.

"My eye hurts," she replied flatly.

"Oh yeah, which one?" Beck asked sarcastically. That got Jade's attention, and she looked up at him with a grimace that could have been a smile.

"Cute," she deadpanned with a sigh. "I want coffee," she said, looking back down at her salad. Of course she had coffee that morning, but she actually was feeling sluggish already, the caffeine wearing off. She swore it was getting worse.

"What's the magic word?" Beck prompted condescendingly. Jade glared at him. Cute sarcasm was one thing, but this holier-than-though, goody-two-shoes, teaching-politeness ploy was garbage.

"Get me some coffee?" she demanded. Beck blinked at her, expression unchanging. Jade knew what he wanted. Jade hated ultimatums. She hated caffeine headaches more. "Please?" she asked sweetly, taking on a softer expression.

"Actually, the magic word was 'lotion', but I'll accept your 'please' cuz you got a boo-boo eye," Beck joked, standing up and leaving.

"Two sugars," Jade reminded him, tone back to her normal flatness. With Beck gone, Jade continued pushing her salad around, smiling to herself and still privately reveling in the new reality she had crafted for herself. It would take a week, maybe two, before she could let up the act. But then it wouldn't matter, and nothing would return to normal for Tori. Jade was broken out of her thoughts by a commotion behind her. She turned, hearing a girl gasp, only to be rewarded with a face full of water. Jade slowly stood up, fury building inside her. She barely heard the girl apologizing profusely.

"Oh my God, Jade. I'm so sorry! Please don't destroy me socially!" the girl blathered. Jade was about to respond when she thought better of it. Her makeup. She quickly touched the area under her eye and, sure enough, saw the blue-purple stains of her makeup running. She had to act fast before the entire cafe saw through her disguised eye.

"Just forget it!" Jade quickly yelled before grabbing her bag and running back into the school. She just needed to get to her locker and grab her stage makeup kit and then get to an empty bathroom to fix this. It was lunch, so hopefully no one would-

"Hey Jade, I need to talk to you!" Andre called out, watching Jade quickly walk into the hallway. Jade internally screamed. Of all people, why did it have to be the one person closest to Tori? The one person who might actually catch her disguise failing?

"Can't talk," she tried, quickly walking further into the school, hand covering her eye. Andre cut her off, moving in front of her way. "WHAT?!" she shouted, coming to a stop and looking at him wide-eyed. Andre noticed Jade's very odd behavior, even for her and decided to dig.

"What's wrong with your eye?" he asked carefully. Jade mentally cursed.

"Tori hit me in the eye with a cane, remember?" she said carefully, looking away from Andre and trying to hide her eye. Hopefully he hadn't seen...

"Yeah, but I've never seen a black eye drip before," he deadpanned, reaching out and wiping some of the makeup off her cheek. Jade was too shocked to call him out for touching him. Too many pillars were crumbling in her mind. She never thought it was after her performance that this could fall apart – that her disguise would falter so quickly and so easily. She was going to be in so much trouble.

"Tori never hit you, did she?" Andre challenged. For once in her life, Jade was at a loss for words. She tried to speak and could barely even make a noise. She was caught. Andre continued to push. "Fake black eye? Fake blood?" he asked, his voice rising. Jade had to try damage control, lest Tori learn the truth.

"Look," she commanded, trying intimidation. "You cannot tell anyone about this. Especially Tori." Andre took a step back.

"I won't," he said plainly. Jade took a step back too, looking worried.

"TORI!" Andre shouted. Panic overtook Jade and she ran back towards him.

"SHUT UP!" Jade screamed, chasing Andre through the school. She knew she couldn't actually stop Andre from telling Tori, but damn if her adrenaline wasn't going to help her try.

* * *

"She what?!" Tori practically shouted into the phone. She must have heard Andre incorrectly.

"I said she faked the whole thing. Fake blood, makeup to fake a black eye. You were right, Tori. I'm sorry I didn't believe you," he replied. Tori shook her head in disbelief.

"I'm amazed she would stoop so low. And thanks for apologizing, but I'm glad you figured it out," she said in return. Despite her irritation, she felt relieved that Andre had believed her enough to confront Jade. He and Tori had become fast friends after the Showcase, and Tori was quickly starting to see Andre as her best friend. No one at Sherwood ever had her back like this. It was only now that Tori realized that losing Andre's trust was part of this whole experience that had hurt so much. That realization ignited further frustration at Jade's attempted sabotage. She was only brought back to the present by Andre's question.

"Sorry, I was distracted. What did you say, Andre?" Tori asked.

"I asked what you were going to do to her, now that you know?" he asked again. The devious part of Tori's mind began to whirl. She could use this against Jade so much. Blackmail her. Humiliate her. Turn her into Lane and get **her** detention instead. See how Jade liked being a pariah. The illusion shattered and Tori frowned.

"Nothing," she said quietly. Jade was already an outcast at school. The only person ever around her was Beck, and he was obligated as her boyfriend. Did Jade even have any friends? Despite herself, Tori felt herself feeling pity for the girl. And that just reminded Tori of her first day, and how desperate Jade had acted when she thought Tori was showing interest in Beck. And then Tori kissed him. Tori suddenly realized why Jade hated her so much and her emotions were abruptly calm.

"I must have misheard you, muchacha, cuz I thought I just heard you say you're going to do nothing now that you know she intentionally got you in trouble," Andre said in disbelief. Tori nodded even though no one would see.

"No, that's what I said. I'm not going to do anything. I don't want to escalate this further," Tori replied in even, calm tones. "It'll be enough for her to know that I know." There was a long pause before Andre spoke again.

"Okay. Your call; I'm behind you either way," he told her. Tori smiled. She understood Andre's hesitation, but appreciated his support.

"Thanks, Andre. That means a lot to me. I gotta go, but I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" she said, done with the conversation. Andre agreed and they ended the call. Tori stared at her phone for a brief moment, still processing her emotions. She flopped into the chair in front of her computer, still open to TheSlap.

"Um, whoa. Andre just told me something X-TREMELY interesting. I KNEW IT!" Jade read from her computer, her stomach sinking. She knew it was just a matter of time before she saw the alert; of course Tori would post online the moment she knew. Tori wore her emotions on her phone.

That settled it – Jade was doomed. Tori would turn her in tomorrow, and she'd have to admit to the whole scheme. Tori's reputation would be restored and Jade would sink into the darkness, proving to everyone that she saw Tori as a threat – large enough to risk suspension. Jade could barely believe how quickly her perfect performance had become worthless. One mistake of fate, and she was worse off than before her weeks of planning. It wasn't worth it. And it wasn't fair. Jade hated herself.

* * *

Tuesday morning, Jade didn't even bother applying the fake black eye makeup. Her scheme was over, so why drag it out? She dragged herself into school, miserable and morose. She was distracted all first period, just waiting for the inevitable student to arrive with a note or a teacher to pull her aside. But nothing happened. Surely, then, Tori was just waiting until lunch so she could make a scene, right?

But Tori wasn't in the Asphalt Cafe at lunch. Jade started feeling nervous. Where was Tori? She couldn't ask Beck, or anyone really, so she kept to herself and hid her emotions – a normal state, if she had one. Besides, she'd see Tori in Sikowitz's class. Maybe that's where Tori would get her back for this whole affair?

Except Tori completely ignored Jade in Sikowitz's class – she didn't even look at her, despite the two of them walking into class at nearly the same time. Jade stared at Tori, and she received nothing in return. Tori wasn't acting out of character; she was talking with Andre just fine. Jade was confused and paranoid. What was Tori playing at? Was she going to let Jade sweat it out for a day or two, and then turn her in when her guard was finally down?

Jade's emotions were on high alert that entire week, knowing at any moment, she'd be called into an office for discipline over her actions. And all week, nothing spectacular happened other than Tori's continued, specific ignorance of Jade's presence. By Friday afternoon, Jade was at her wit's end. She overheard Tori telling Andre that she had to clean the Black Box this evening after the middle school play, and Jade decided that was her moment to act.

That evening, Jade left home and walked back to school. Luckily, the evening weather in April was comfortable and, while longer than she'd like, the walk wasn't unpleasant. Or at least it wouldn't have been, if her mind wasn't running a million miles a minute. Jade liked having a plan, and this time, she didn't have anything other than an opening line. As far as she could tell, Tori hadn't said a word to anyone all week. Jade had to know why Tori was biding her time.

She entered the theater and walked right past Derek, who was barely keeping watch over Tori. She spied the girl crouched down, scrapping something awful from the concrete walls. Jade walked over and just stood there. This time, it hardly took any time at all for Tori to notice Jade's presence. Tori looked up at Jade and didn't say a word. Jade blinked, shifting uncomfortably, her only planned words failing her. Tori refused to give in, opting for silence. Jade broke their stare and sighed.

"I don't get it," she conceded. Tori shrugged, shaking her head in confusion.

"What?" Tori asked, flatly. Jade wore a frustrated smile.

"I know Andre told you that I faked everything," Jade answered with difficulty. Admitting this was harder than she thought, but the words were coming from somewhere and they were coming with authenticity and honesty. Tori continued to scrap, still listening. "The blood, the black eye..." Tori stood up and gave Jade her full attention.

"Why are you here?" she asked, sounded irritated. Jade laughed bitterly.

"Why are you here?" she retorted. "Why didn't you tell on me?" Tori looked up, gathering her thoughts. She knew bring up Beck would only make this worse, so better to give a vague, honest answer.

"Cuz, we both go to school here and it's not gonna be much fun for either one of us if we're fighting all the time," she answered, matter-of-factly. Tori wasn't entirely happy with herself for burying part of the truth and had a sour look on her face. She couldn't keep the stare up with Jade and walked past her, moving to the opposite wall to continue her punishment. Jade blinked in confusion before turning. She was having a very difficult time processing this conversation.

"So, you're just going to let me get away with it?" she asked, not believing it herself and wearing a sarcastic grin. Tori glanced at her, then returned her attention to the wall – she didn't want to listen to this, but Jade continued. "You took detention, and a lower grade, and you're scrapping crusty pudding off the wall on a Friday night just so I won't get in trouble?" Jade's tone started incredulous, but ended in genuine curiousity.

"Pretty much," came Tori's curt reply, as she smiled tersely at Jade. Jade couldn't accept that answer.

"Well, you can't be nice to me when I've been mean to you! That's not how it works!" Jade argued, stepping closer to Tori. Tori threw her arms up in exasperation.

"Well then try being nice to me sometime! Maybe that'll work," Tori replied directly without anger. "Now, go play, I gotta scrap this onion dip off the wall." Tori returned to her work, ignoring Jade.

Jade was completely at a loss. She couldn't even move for a moment. Then, automatically, she turned and began to walk out of the theater. She made it less than ten steps towards the door before she felt compelled to turn and look back at Tori. True to her word, Tori was diligently working to clean up the theater.

The problem for Jade was she was at war with herself. Without her knowing it, Tori had just completed the most selfless, thoughtful act that anyone had ever done for Jade in the last several years. Jade knew she didn't have any friends. She knew that if her and Beck weren't dating, he may not even be around her much. And here this girl, this rival, this celestial body daring to eclipse her, even after everything Jade had done the last several weeks to push her back, Tori had chosen to protect Jade from herself. Jade felt that same unfamiliar feeling well up inside her lower stomach; it was the same pull she felt when Tori was singing in the showcase. What was happening to her?

Jade couldn't escape. She had dared to close the distance between them, and her orbit was now captured. She was stuck. Jade had to understand this enigma. She sighed, dropping her bag. "Try being nice"; the words rang through Jade's mind. Jade grabbed a bucket and a scrapper and walked up to the pillar next to Tori. Jade frowned. She didn't understand why she was doing this, but somehow, she knew this was the right thing to do. Without a word, she began scrapping.

Tori heard the metal on metal and, confused, turned to look for the source. Jade's sarcastic smile was greeting her before the other girl returned her bored expression back to the metal pillar. Tori turned back to her own messy wall, the start of many thoughts fighting for her attention. Had she actually done it? Did she actually reach the girl? Tori would think about it later.

"This might be more fun with some tunes," Jade interrupted the silence. She walked over to the control panel on the wall and, slipping on leftover cheese, caught herself barely in time on the wall. Tori stared in open-mouth surprise, expecting the worst but relieved that Jade caught her balance. With a flip of her hair, Jade shimmied in a little dance back towards Tori and the soiled theater walls. Jade even cracked a genuine smile at Tori before looking away quickly. Likewise, Tori couldn't help but smile and bounce in place, returning to her work. It was in the excitement of the bouncy energy that Tori got an idea.

Tori rhythmically moved to the same pillar Jade was cleaning and caught her attention silently. Tori motioned her head at Derek, ensuring Jade caught on. Jade smiled wide, looking over at Derek.

"Hey D! Come scrape with us. This is fun!" Tori excitedly called out, and Jade motioned towards themselves with the paint scrapper. Derek hesitated a moment before agreeing and joining in. As he leaned over to grab a scrapper, Tori playfully hip-checked him and moved over to the same table as Jade. With Derek's back turned, Tori caught Jade's eye again and she nodded, grinning mischievously. Jade sauntered over to Derek wearing a forced smile and fake happy tone.

"Here, try it with two!" Jade offered, handing him the other paint scrapper. Derek got into the music and started scraping, ignoring the two girls. Now it was Jade's turn to catch Tori's attention with a tap on her shoulder. With the security guard sufficiently distracted, the two girls quietly gathered their bags and danced out of the theater, back into the hallway. Clear enough of the door, they broke into a sprint until they were out of the school and past the street corner. They slowed down after that, laughing too hard at the daring escape.

"I can't believe that worked," Tori exclaimed, beaming at Jade. Jade returned the smile.

"I can't believe you went through with it," Jade countered with a smirk. After all that, Tori was about to frown but caught Jade's smirk. Tori's expression mirrored Jade's. So this is how Jade got along with people.

"Hey, I can break rules," Tori challenged. Jade was starting to see that now. Tori and here were more alike than Jade initially realized, and for some reason that scared her. Jade also felt that there was something more, something different on a deeper level. "Besides, I didn't really deserve that detention. I didn't hit you," Tori rationalized. Jade rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm heading home. Catch ya later, Tori," Jade said, turning and walking down the road. Tori smiled and waved slightly at Jade's back.

"Yeah, see you later, Jade," Tori returned, watching the girl leave. She lingered for just a moment, not quite understanding why, before turning and walking down an adjacent road to head home, herself. It was a long walk, but if she started now she'd probably get home before nine. And the weather was clear and pleasant.

Tori smiled the entire way home. Jade frowned slightly less, deep in thought about what came next.

Both had similar thoughts - there were way worse ways to spend a Friday night.


	9. Chapter 9

If not for the background hum of the other customers, the sound of Jade's coffee being refilled would have been deafening. Once again, Jade found herself alone on a Saturday at this particular coffee shop. And, once again, Jade didn't even look up from her notebook as the server passed and refilled her order, which they had long since committed to memory. Despite her desire for distractions, none were available to help Jade avoid the one thing she did not want to think about today.

Tori. Ever since walking away from the girl last night, Jade's thoughts were consumed and hyper-focused. After helping Tori to escape her punishment of cleaning up the theater, Jade did not doubt Tori's sincerity – she wasn't going to tell anyone Jade had faked the injury. That left Jade with at least one major problem; Tori suggested Jade try being 'nice'. Jade West did not do 'nice'. She could barely muster up 'tolerant' on a good day. How in the world was Jade supposed to be nice to Tori?

That's what Jade wanted to be the problem. The real issue, the one nagging at the back of Jade's brain like a gnat she couldn't quite catch, was that being nice to Tori felt too easy and came too readily. Jade was finding it increasingly difficult to be as mean to the girl as she was everyone else. Jade hated feeling out of control. Since she didn't understand Tori she would, for now, take the girl's advice and 'try being nice'. At least long enough to buy her the time she needed to figure out Tori. Maybe if Jade learned more about her rival performer, she would start to understand why she was feeling less in control, and then she could fix it. The rational part of Jade's mind reminded her they had gone in this circular argument for the last several hours, and that her plan was deeply flawed – it served as an excuse for Jade to spend more time with Tori. Jade groaned and buried her head between the pages of her notebook.

* * *

Monday, school, should have brought a return to normalcy. Except Jade immediately noticed something was different about Tori's behavior today.

It was between classes and Jade was exchanging books at her locker. She saw Tori on the main stairwell, surrounded by the others of their suddenly assembled clique. Cat was awfully close to Tori, arms practically hanging off her, and Tori looked upset or distressed. Jade hated Cat's proximity, although she was not sure why. While subtly eavesdropping, Jade learned that Tori was looking for a present for her no-talent sister. That in itself wasn't surprising; of course Tori would worry about giving someone a gift they would like. What caused Jade's eyebrows to raise in interest was Tori's impulsiveness as she lashed out and kicked Rex in Robbie's backpack. Her expression and action were so familiar to Jade that for a moment she could have sworn she felt her own boot connect with Robbie's bag. Jade shook her head and walked away. It was too early in the week to deal with this, and with Beck absent this week on an extended spring break with his family back in Canada, Jade did not have the support she needed to properly process the situation.

The next day, Jade resolved she would at least sit with the others at lunch. Maybe if she could manage that small act without obvious frustration, it would be a step towards 'trying' to be nice to Tori. Lunch was only thirty-five minutes, and by the time they all had food and sat down, it was more like twenty-five minutes. Plus she always left early to travel to class, so at most it was twenty minutes. She could last twenty minutes without losing her temper.

It took seven minutes before Jade was cutting french fries with her scissors as a distraction from her growing irritation. Tori had immediately popped open her laptop without as much as a 'Hello' to anyone. Cat was droning on about something inane, and Robbie and Rex **existed**. Worst of all, Sinjin decided that the lack of a sixth person at the table was apparently an invitation, and he boldly sat next to Jade. She knew the boy was fascinated with her, but he was disgusting and she gave him as little attention as possible. Bugs didn't deserve an elaborate reaction; you just stepped on them occasionally. Jade was broken out of her focus by Tori calling her name in a very direct tone. Jade blinked and lifted her head up slightly.

"Yeah?" she lazily responded.

"What should I get Trina?" Tori asked, staring at her expectantly. Jade returned the stare for a moment.

"Talent," she answered in a bored tone and returned to cutting her french fry. Tori only suggested being nice to **her**. Trina didn't count. Besides, Jade rationalized, if Tori could give Trina talent as a present, it would be the best present anyone could ever possibly get the annoying girl. Jade mentally noted that Tori didn't say it was a bad idea, like she had with Andre's idea of 'cheese' or Robbie's suggestion of 'lotion'.

"Ah, Jade is so pretty," she heard Sinjin say. She felt him staring at her. Jade immediately stopped cutting her french fry and stared straight ahead, which just happened to be in Tori's direction.

"Three, two, one," Jade quickly counted down in a flat, direct manner. She felt Sinjin stand up and scamper away, and she returned her focus to her scissors. Seconds later, she heard Tori's desperate plea.

"Does anyone have a good idea about a present for Trina?" the girl whined, ending her plea staring at Jade. The dam holding back her frustration broke.

"You people give me a rash," she vaguely claimed, looking at everyone at the table. She found herself quickly passing over Tori as she spoke before turning around and stomping away. There was only so much Jade could take; if she stayed here, she was going to say or do something she would regret.

Tori watched Jade leave in a hurry. She sighed with a small frown. Tori knew she was being incoherent and irritating, but she was desperate! None of her friends, Jade especially, understood how big of a deal Trina would make over a sub par present. Tori's focus returned to her computer, browsing ideas online. Drowning out Robbie's complaints was just a bonus. But Cat's high-pitched and even higher-energy comments were harder to block.

"I love old people! It's so cute how they shake when they pour their juice," Cat replied to Robbie with a smile. Tori laughed mockingly at Cat, smiling insincerely.

"You know what that make me think of?" she asked, venom lurking beneath her words.

"What?" Cat asked earnestly. Tori's expression flipped, suddenly vicious.

"Nothing!" she shouted; she looked and sounded as irritated as she felt. Even Andre gave the girl a questioning look and Cat leaned back from the table, retreating from the conversation and looking hurt. "Now what am I going to get Trina for her birthweek?" Tori asked one more time. Sinjin decided that, sans Jade, he could return to the table once again and try his luck with Tori.

"How about a bobble head that looks like me?" he said, creeping over Tori's shoulder and coming way too close for comfort. Jade's tactic seemed to work best, and Tori found herself drawing inspiration from the dangerous girl as she stared at Sinjin dangerously.

"My dad's a cop," she said flatly and expressionless. Sinjin seemed to get the hint as his face fell.

"Movin' on," he proclaimed and quickly left. Tori felt conflicted about using an approach so similar to Jade's, but it was effective. She couldn't worry about that right now, so she took a drink and returned to her search for Trina's perfect birthweek present.

* * *

Jade frowned upon reading the latest status alert sent to her by TheSlap and posted by Tori. "Still MAD at Trina. U reading this Trina? Hope so!" Clearly the "best present" Tori had bragged about on the website just a few days prior hadn't been received very well. Jade shook her head in disbelief. How Tori thought Trina would appreciate anything immaterial was beyond Jade's understanding. Jade made a point to avoid interacting with the older Vega years ago, and even she knew Trina only valued obviously expensive objects. But it wasn't Tori's status update that caused Jade's expression.

What bothered Jade is why she cared that Tori was upset. Sure, she had taken 'being nice' as a challenge from the aspiring singer, but certainly that didn't mean she should care if someone **else** hurt Tori, right? The fact that Jade was buying another coffee as she returned from lunch undermined her uncertainty. She didn't know if Tori even drank coffee, but it's what cheered up Jade when she was upset, so that's what Tori was going to receive.

Jade marched back into the school. Lunch had just ended, so Tori would probably be at her locker preparing for her final classes of the week. As expected, Tori was fussing with the dial lock as Jade approached. Tori was still in such a rotten mood that she didn't even notice Jade call her the first time.

"Hey, Vega," Jade said firmly as she bee-lined for the girl. She waited for a second before trying again. "Tori," she said, slightly less cold but still firm. Tori finally realized Jade was standing nearby as she popped her locker open.

"What?" she asked brightly. She may feel rotten, but that was no reason to take it out on anyone other than Trina. And Jade hadn't been mean to her all week, so clearly their chat last week in the Black Box had left an impact. Jade had planned this interaction in her head on the way back into the school.

"Try this coffee and tell me what it tastes like," Jade asked, although it sounded more like a command. Jade couldn't stomach the idea of actually giving Tori a gift, and she honestly did not know if Tori even liked coffee. If she didn't, she could refuse and Jade would learn something new. If she tried it, Jade might learn if she liked the flavor she had randomly chosen. It was a win-win.

What Jade did not count on Tori so quickly and readily taking the coffee from her without a moment of hesitation of word of caution. She was acting as if she **trusted** Jade. Which made no sense – as far as Jade knew, she was the only one who had given Tori any reason to **distrust** her. As usual, Tori refused to fall neatly into a box and Jade grew irritated. She grabbed a piece of gum and prepared to stick it in her mouth to prevent the growing verbal garbage from coming out.

"Hazelnut?" Tori asked after taking a long sip. She was right, but Tori's question came too fast and the gum wasn't yet in place.

"I don't know. I found it in the garbage," she responded sarcastically with a grin. She hadn't, of course, but she was irritated with Tori and with herself and she couldn't resist teasing the poor girl. Tori scrunched up her face and sputtered, spitting out what little coffee was still in her mouth. Jade stared at her. If the girl thought for half a second, she'd realize Jade was lying. The coffee was still hot after all. Jade was broken out of her thoughts by an irritating voice and even more irritating person arriving from around the corner.

"Hey, Tori. Hey, Tori's friend!" Trina hailed, clearly in a good mood. Tori whipped her head around, glaring at her sister. Jade blinked and looked past them both.

"Yeah, I'm not really her friend," she responded flatly and walked past the two girls. Jade chanced a glance back at Tori as she finished speaking, but continued walking away. Jade wasn't technically lying. Her and Tori hadn't really decided to be friends; Tori just suggested Jade try being nice. And Jade was trying. Jade decided the look of irritation on Tori's face was still because of Trina and not because of Jade's immature reactions.

Tori was mildly annoyed with Jade's prank, especially after the girl had behaved all week. But she was willing to look past it; she had a much bigger issue literally in front of her at that very moment.

"What do you mean you sold the song I gave you?" she asked in shock. Trina explained in typical long-winded fashion that the uncle of one of her friends, which Tori mentally noted was a strong word, was a producer at Devolution Records and freaked out after hearing the song.

"He gave me five hundred bucks for the rights and, get this – he wants me to record it professionally!" Trina excitedly shared, practically bouncing in giddiness. As Trina began to leave, Tori grabbed her from behind and spun her back around. She was livid as she glared at her older sister.

"Wait, but, but, but does he know that I was the one singing the song and not you?" Tori asked, hoping against hope Trina would understand why she was asking the question. Trina's face was blank.

"You know...that did not come up," she recalled. Tori growled in frustration, holding her hand to her forehead. She was just about to call out Trina for her typical insensitive behavior when she was interrupted by the bell announcing class. Trina once again began to leave.

"Gotta scamper! Hey, are you gonna finish your coffee?" Trina asked, ignorant as usual to the feelings of anyone other than herself. Tori began answering before she could think otherwise.

"No, Jade found this in the..." she trailed off, looking at the coffee. Jade would have done so much worse if she were in Tori's position, and channeling Jade's behavior earlier in the week had worked wonders on Sinjin. Trina really deserved way worse than this. Tori wasn't happy with herself for what followed, but she was still more upset with Trina. "You can have it," she flatly stated, holding out the coffee to Trina. Trina took the cup graciously and blew a kiss at Tori as she quickly walked away. Tori watched her go, allowing herself to relish in at least this small act of revenge. "That's right. Drink the garbage coffee," she said out loud to herself and shook her head, still in awe of the depths of Trina's selfishness.

As Tori made her way to her final classes of the week, she just hoped Trina would get what was coming to her.


	10. Chapter 10

"Then they ran out of the studio," Tori explained to the group, as she recalled the events of the previous Friday evening. As it turned out, Tori didn't have to wait long for the consequences of her sister's actions to catch up with her. In the face of mounting pressure at the Devolution Records' studio, Trina finally confessed that she wasn't the singer on the track she sold them. She tried to make it right by introducing the recording staff to Tori and Andre as the singer and songwriter. However, in the middle of recording, the staff learned that Beyonce was interested in the song, and they left without a word to Tori which left the three teenagers stranded in the studio. Andre nodded sadly.

"Yeah, and now no one will know we really wrote that song," Andre mumbled, disparaged. Tori smiled sadly.

"Yeah, but think about it Andre – you wrote such a cool song that **Beyonce** wanted it. And you're still in high school. You're going to write so many awesome songs, and everyone is going to want them," Tori said brightly. Andre was usually so upbeat that it upset Tori to see him down, even a little. Her efforts were rewarded with a smile from the boy.

"Hey, thanks chica. And we'll get you back in a studio soon, too. You're crazy tal-" Andre began returning the compliment, but he was cut off and drowned out by a roaming shouting match between Jade and Beck. The aspiring actor had returned from his family's trip late last night and it was his first day back to school.

Jade was irritated with her boyfriend. She already hated that he went on an extended vacation without her, but on top of that he basically maintained no contact with her the entire week. And, even when he got home last night, he didn't call or otherwise reach out to her. Jade was already frustrated with herself for her failure to label Tori, and her self-conflict over wanting to cheer up Tori last Friday still weighed heavily on her mind. To have no contact from her one pillar of support for an entire week upset her greatly. And an upset Jade was an angry Jade.

"It wouldn't have killed you to call me," she repeated for the fifth time. Beck sighed and looked straight ahead, emotion void from his features. He was aware they were walking by the table where their friends were gathered. They wouldn't want to hear this and Jade might actually blow a gasket if he sat down with them, so he walked past them without even glancing their way.

"And like I said, I meant to, but we didn't get home until after midnight. I thought you'd be asleep," Beck responded for the fifth time. From Beck's perspective, it seemed like Jade didn't want to understand because then she wouldn't have anything to be upset with him about and she'd have to stop this fight. Jade seemed to be fueled by fighting.

Jade growled. The boy did not understand – it's like he didn't want to understand. Couldn't he see that she missed him and the level of normalcy he brought to her otherwise chaotic life? His recent trip was the longest they had been apart in the last year. Beck was a smart guy, but sometimes he was dense as a rock. They'd been fighting all morning and he still wasn't getting it.

"So what is it, Beck? Do you just hate talking with me? Is that it?" Jade asked, her volume and indignation increasing as she spoke. Beck shook his head. He was tired of fighting this battle; he just got back and didn't even sleep that much last night.

"Of course not, babe. You know I love talking with you. Listen, I'm sorry for not calling you while I was gone, okay?" Beck apologized, keeping his voice calm and measured. When Jade became this emotional, it was just easier for Beck to fall on his sword and stay calm. He learned a long time ago that how he reacted affected her a lot more than just what he said or did. Even now, he could see Jade's breathing calming, her nostrils flaring a little less. After a moment of silence, during which Jade just stared at Beck, she finally nodded one time.

"And you won't do it again," Jade stated, affirming for Beck that he would take a lesson away from this. She didn't phrase it as a question on purpose. Beck didn't have a choice. Beck understood that's what Jade meant and nodded.

"Right," he stated simply. Jade seemed appeased by that and abandoned her antagonistic tone. They sat down at a lunch table and ate in awkward silence. Jade spent the entire period picking at her food and berating herself in her head. She needed Beck so badly, but he didn't always understand what that meant. He used to. Or maybe the way she needed him had changed recently. Either way, it left Jade feeling increasingly afraid and alone, and she hated feeling that way. The rest of that Monday would do nothing to improve Jade's mood, and Jade had no way of knowing tomorrow would be so much worse.

* * *

Jade waited outside near the entrance of the Asphalt Cafe. She stood rigid, eyes fixed on the parking lot with blazing intensity. While Jade didn't keep up with celebrity rumor rags, another student tagged Beck on TheSlap with a screen shot from today's update on Buzzfinger. And that particular photo showed Beck very close to one Alyssa Vaughn, a rich, famous socialite; a woman who could have anything and anyone she wanted. Jade needed to hear it from Beck directly. She couldn't admit it to him, but Jade was afraid she was losing the boy's interest. And if she lost his interest, she'd lose his companionship, which would mean losing his support. And Jade would be alone.

Beck raised a hand as he walked towards Jade, unaware of her internal suffering. He caught the look in her eyes at the last moment, though, and slowed his approach cautiously.

"Something wrong?" he asked carefully, testing the waters. Jade stared directly at him.

"What's going on with you and Alyssa Vaughn?" she asked firmly. Beck sighed, closing his eyes.

"We're just friends, she goes to-" Beck started to explain, but he immediately stopped talking and his eyes flashed open at hearing Jade scream in frustration. Seeing she had Beck's attention, Jade threw the small rock she had picked up from the path. Beck quickly dodged out of the way and stared at Jade with a questioning expression.

"Friends? You're 'friends'? Girls like that can't just be 'friends', Beck! And your **arm** was around her shoulder!" Jade languished. Beck shook his head.

"You're acting crazy, Jade. Yes, they can, and yes, we are," he responded calmly. Jade was torn.

"We're talking more about this later. I need to go," Jade announced, turning on her heel and walking into the school. Beck sighed again. They'd been dating for almost two years now. How did Jade not trust him? What was it going to take before Jade valued his input in their relationship? As Beck grabbed a coffee in the Cafe and headed to his first class, he worried that he was going to have to take a firm stance soon, and Jade was going to see firsthand the consequences of her jealous behavior. If it came to that, Beck would need to be resolute. Otherwise Jade wasn't going to change, and their relationship would only become more difficult than it already was.

It was during Tori's morning classes that she noticed the post on TheSlap and her mouth dropped. Beck, Alyssa Vaughn, photographed together. She could hardly believe it. Her first reaction was excitement - one of her friends was friends with a celebrity! As she thought about what she could ask Beck about Alyssa, a second wave of emotion hit her. Tori frowned and looked at her phone again, her face laced with concern.

Jade would not be happy to see this photograph, and she must have seen it by now. The post had been online all morning. Tori didn't immediately think about why she was worried about Jade's feelings; it was normal for Tori to help and care for her friends. But as Tori sat through class, she realized that she was more sensitive to the dark-haired girl's behavior and well-being. Jade didn't really have any friends, and Tori wasn't sure if Jade and her were friends yet. It seemed like the only friend Jade had was Beck. That's how Tori decided she had to know if Beck had spoken with Jade about the situation. Tori eagerly awaited the bell that announced lunch, knowing she'd find one or both of them there.

As the bell rang, Tori speed-walked towards exit doors of the school. As she arrived outside, she paused for a moment to scan the lunch area. Tori saw Beck and Andre seated at the group's usual table from across the Asphalt Cafe. She started running now, heading their direction and shouting to get their attention.

"Hey guys!" she shouted brightly, hoping to ensure they didn't move before she arrived. As she reached the table, she plopped down her bag and turned to catch Beck's eye. Jade was always with him, and she wasn't nearby. "Dude," she deadpanned in a low tone as she grabbed her phone. "Look what's on the Buzzfinger homepage," she instructed, holding her phone out.

"Oh, heh" Beck allowed himself to say, looking away from Tori with a small smile. He already dealt with Jade about this today; was everyone going to bring this up? He thought it would be better to play it off as no big deal than indulge in everyone's wild theories. Beck's reaction didn't appease Tori's concern.

"Oh? That's you and Alyssa Vaughn. Together," she emphasized firmly. Beck took a drink of his coffee, pointedly not looking at Tori. Andre couldn't believe it and reached for Tori's phone. Tori remembered she was sitting next to Andre and gave him a double-take before turning the phone around so he could see the screen easier. Andre's eyes grew wide as he repeated what Tori had just said in a tone of disbelief. Now Beck was looking at them both.

"Why are you guys so impressed?" he asked cautiously, taking energy to keep his features blank and his tone even.

"Cuz Alyssa Vaughn is famous," Tori stated matter-of-factly. "Her father's a billionaire." Tori reached back to Andre and retrieved her phone. Then, with a sigh, she turned it around once again to display to Beck. Now that she had established the context, she was hoping to receive a more complete answer from the boy. "Explain this," she said more than asked. Beck paused a moment and stared Tori down. She had never been this direct before. Before Beck allowed himself to make a mental comparison of Tori's behavior to Jade's, he decided to give her a little of what she wanted.

"She's in my yoga class," he answered with a shrug. "Some paparazzi showed up and took that pick, but we're just friends," he concluded. He looked away from Tori and reached for another drink of coffee. Tori couldn't explain it, but Beck's hesitation worried her. She didn't want to say he was lying, per say, but it didn't seem like she was getting the whole truth. Still, she decided to move on to the main reason she had ran to lunch.

"Uh huh," Tori started, sounding unconvinced. "And how did Jade react when she found out you were 'friends' with Alyssa Vaughn?" Tori emphasized the word 'friends' on purpose to let Beck know that, even if she gave him the benefit of the doubt, it was questionable. Even Andre motioned quotation marks with his fingers to support Tori's message. Tori studied Beck carefully as he avoided her gaze, opting to stare straight ahead.

"Jade was cool with it," he replied indignantly. Tori blinked and looked at him in complete disbelief and a little disappointment. She had never seen Beck lie so obviously before, and it worried her that she hadn't seen this side of the boy. Just three weeks ago, Beck had claimed his locker was transparent because he 'had no secrets', yet here he blatantly avoided the truth. The moment of silence seemed to force the truth from him, but he still refused to look Tori in the eye. "She threw a rock at me," Beck confessed, glancing at Tori's face quickly before he quickly took another large sip of coffee to avoid the awkward conversation. Tori was glad Beck fessed up, but she was still disappointed and concerned. Tori was also still worried about how Jade was feeling. Throwing a rock was a reaction; how she would behave after fully processing the situation was another matter.

"Yeah, well, I'd be careful. Cuz I don't think Jade's the type to be okay with-" Tori started, intending to warn Beck. Tori was interrupted, however, by yet another one of Trina's schemes to promote herself. Tori tried to tune out her irritating sister, but the megaphone and Trina's announcement of their last name squashed any hope Tori had to remain anonymous in the situation. As Trina's overly loud announcement wrapped up, Tori turned back to face Beck. "Just, you should probably talk with Jade about this. This seems like something she would not like, and it's all over the school by now," Tori finished her thought. Beck didn't answer her, choosing instead to finish his coffee. Tori needed food, anyway, and stood up to grab a small lunch. She had spent most of her lunch period speaking with Andre and Beck, and she would need to leave for her afternoon classes soon.

* * *

Jade and Beck usually walked back to their lockers after their first afternoon class, and today would be no different. Except instead of comfortable silence, Jade was pushing to continue their conversation from this morning. Beck was trying to ignore her and walked a few steps ahead of Jade as they started down the main hallway stairs.

"Hey, we're not done talking about this," Jade stated flatly. Beck refused to look back at her.

"I am," Beck sarcastically responded in a sing-song tone.

"Well, I'm not!" Jade retorted, looking at the back of his head with concern. Beck sighed and, upon reaching the bottom of the steps, turned around.

"Listen, Alyssa Vaughn is just a friend," he tried again, replying calmly and staring Jade in the eyes. That wasn't Jade's point and she wanted to put the situation into perspective for the boy.

"Yeah, a 'friend' whose already sent you six text messages today," she complained, vulnerability eating at her otherwise firm tone. Beck looked like he was ready to retort when his phone chimed. Jade clenched her jaw to stop herself from screaming. "Seven," she growled. Beck decided a little humor might defuse the situation.

"You don't know that's her," he said, grinning. Jade's gaze didn't budge and her expression and jaw remained set.

"Is it?" she asked through clenched teeth. Beck waited a moment before realizing that Jade was asking him to check the message. He picked up his phone and saw that, sure enough, it was Alyssa Vaughn. Plan B, then.

"What's your favorite tropical fruit?" Beck asked, hoping for a distraction or relief from this otherwise tense conversation. Beck had never handled this kind of drama well before; he just didn't have the patience for it. Thankfully no one had stopped in the hall to watch or make a scene yet. Jade sighed.

"The mango," she replied flatly, "but I don't like your new little relationship with Alyssa Vaughn," she explained. Beck choose to intentionally simplify the situation.

"it's a text message," he defended, unwilling to justify Jade's behavior. Jade's patience was wearing thin. She didn't want to be replaced, and she was afraid Beck would grow tired of her and leave. She threw her hands up in frustration.

"And what does it say?!" she asked rhetorically as Beck turned away from her and quickly moved to his locker. "Maybe, 'Hi Beck! My Daddy just got richer, and I got prettier. Let's make out!" Jade exaggerated, her emotions running away full steam at by now. Beck furrowed his eyebrows. He was so tired of this; playing the fall guy, receiving no trust from Jade, being the only mature, stable part of their relationship. Beck turned on Jade and shut his locker.

"Okay, let's see if I understand you," he started in a direct tone. Jade interrupted on purpose with a nod.

"Let's see if you do!" she challenged, staring the boy down. Beck gathered his thoughts and looked Jade in the eyes.

"Because you and I date, I can't be friends with other girls?" Beck asked indignantly. Jade was willing to clarify a little bit.

"You can be friends with ugly girls," she answered in a hopeful tone. She knew it sounded ridiculous the moment it came out of her mouth, but it was as close to the truth as she could get without outright admitting her real concerns to him. Beck shook his head, but Jade continued. "But not girls who are gorgeous socialites who text message you a hundred times a day." By the end of her explanation, her features had softened and she looked distraught rather than upset. As Beck tried a new angle of explanation, he saw Tori walking past the stairs and saw a chance to change the rules of this fight.

"Tori! Tori, can you come here?" he asked, waving her down. Jade turned and looked at Tori anxiously. Tori froze, glancing between Jade and Beck. This couldn't be good.

"What?" Tori responded, drawing it out in concern and caution. She had told Beck to talk to Jade, not drag her into it! She slowly walked over to the two. Beck clasped his hands together.

"If you were my girlfriend," he began. Jade couldn't stop herself from scoffing, her frustration boiling over. Why was it she suddenly felt like a third wheel the moment Tori showed up?

"Great way to start the question!" she sarcastically interjected, carefully staring between both Tori and Beck before looking down at the floor. She smiled without sincerity. The whole point of their argument was about Beck's attention to and from other girls, and he clearly still didn't understand it. Beck raised a hand up towards Jade to silence her. With a worried expression, Tori glanced at Jade before returning her attention to Beck.

"Would you be all freaked out that I'm just friends with Alyssa Vaughn?" Beck concluded his question, his tone pleading. He figured he could count on Tori to back him up here. Tori studied Beck carefully, watching his reaction as Jade jumped in.

"Who cares what she thinks?" Jade asked, her tone flooding with concern. Tori had never heard Jade sound so desperate.

"Honestly, I wouldn't love it," Tori responded to Beck's question. She didn't think she'd be freaking out, which is what Beck actually asked, but Tori decided that Jade needed this more than Beck. She sounded so hurt about the situation. Tori was caught off guard and grimaced as Jade moved towards her, grabbed her forearm and draped another arm around Tori's shoulder. She was trapped in this conversation.

"**I** care what she thinks," Jade emphasized. Jade was a surprised by Tori's answer and her own reaction, but she wouldn't punch a gift-horse in the mouth. Beck was also shocked and smiled nervously, looking away from the two girls.

"How can you say that? You don't even," Beck started, now arguing with Tori. The girl felt Jade's grip release and realized it was time to make a break for it. She held up a hand to silence Beck.

"You know, I really don't want to be in the middle of this," she interrupted and backed up with a nervous smile. She made it two steps and a half-turn before Jade whipped around and grabbed her by the upper arm.

"No, you stay right here!" Jade told her, firmly but without malice. With a single pull, Jade flipped Tori around and had her back at her side. Tori found herself caught off balance by Jade's strength – she didn't look that strong! Tori let out a frustrated groan as she was pulled back into the conversation she desperately wanted to escape. Beck started in on her again, looking between Jade and Tori with exasperation. He needed a more vague question that Tori wouldn't be able to spin.

"You don't think a girlfriend should just trust her boyfriend?" he said calmly. Tori looked away from him. She knew Jade was going to hate this, but Tori couldn't lie about this.

"N-No, I do..." Tori started, and sure enough, Jade wasn't having it. Jade's head snapped to the right and she stared at the girl.

"Get out of here, Tori," Jade demanded, her mouth setting in a flat line. Tori didn't need to look at Jade to understand she was being dismissed. She nodded one time.

"I'd love to," she said in relief and tried to make a break for it yet again. This time she made it four steps before Beck called for her, raising a hand again.

"Stay," he stated, not nearly as firm as Jade but the command was obvious regardless. Tori felt herself turning around, but she grimaced and did as requested nonetheless. She should just ignore Beck and keep walking, but she counted Beck as a friend and she couldn't force herself to ignore a friend in need. Tori groaned loudly in frustration and ignored the fact that in any other context, she might sound like Jade. Jade shifted side to side and stared at Beck.

This was stupid. Beck didn't understand her. He was using Tori against her, which in itself was an awful thing to do even without him knowing how conflicted her thoughts were of the potential rival. Was Beck trying to drive Jade to a breaking point? Maybe he really did want her gone but he just didn't have the guts to do it himself? Jade hated being manipulated.

"All right, you know what?" she asked, challenging Beck. Tori frowned.

"Tell me what," Beck stated flatly. Jade's temper flared. She hated being told what to do. Tori caught the danger that Beck had so obviously missed, and she placed a hand on Jade's arm to calm her.

"No, no, don't tell him what," she pleaded, staring at the girl. Jade's focus was on Beck, and she only barely registered Tori's warm hand on her arm. Tori's touch had the opposite effect; to Jade, it was electric and it subconsciously bolstered her to push forward.

"We're done," Jade stated, motioning between herself and Beck. Jade wore a blank expression and stared at the boy, looking for any reaction. Tori was watching a train wreck in action and nothing she did was stopping it. She stared at the other girl.

"Jade..." she begged, voice pitching upwards. Beck couldn't help but almost grin at the absurdity of the situation. Jade had never threatened to end their relationship before, but Beck was tired of rolling over.

"So you're breaking up with me?" he asked, returning Jade's challenge and sounding incredulous. Jade hated ultimatums. Tori tried one last time to derail the incoming disaster.

"No, no, no, no. No, she's not," Tori nervously interjected, glancing wide-eyed at Jade. The other girl nodded one final time, her decision final. If Beck wanted her gone so bad, then fine – she'd take care of this situation by herself.

"Yeah, I am," she stated decisively. She walked away from Tori's side and past Beck, not giving him the benefit of a second look. Tori sighed, talking to herself.

"Oh, she is," she intoned and looked at the ground. What in the world just happened? She knew she wasn't responsible, but she couldn't shake the awkward feeling. She felt terrible for Jade and Beck and, even though she wasn't really friends with the girl, she couldn't help but feel sympathetic to Jade's argument. Was Beck actually trying to force Jade into a course of action? Couldn't he see what he was doing was driving Jade to a breaking point? Tori was pulled out of her thoughts by Beck shouting at Jade's retreating form.

"You're being ridiculous!" he shouted. Tori stared at Beck, slightly aghast at his callous response. Jade spun on her heels, but continued walking backwards.

"What do you care?! I'm not your girlfriend anymore!" she shouted back as she walked around the corner and out of sight. Jade's mind was parked waiting for her adrenaline to release the logical part of her mind. In the meantime, she was a flood of emotions and she didn't have the stomach to deal with any of them. Jade needed to finish her last class and get out of this school.

Tori felt frozen in place. Beck ran a hand through his hair and, without a word to Tori, walked off to his last class as well. Tori sighed, partially relieved that Beck didn't talk with her further, but also concerned that Beck might blame her for some of what just transpired. As she walked to her last class, Tori had to let out her emotions a little and posted an update on TheSlap.

"Errgg! Nothing worse than being sucked into a fight between a BF and GF – hate it," she wrote on her phone. Tori settled into her last class and distracted herself by focusing on the lesson. By the end of the day, she felt a little better. She didn't see Beck or Jade the rest of the day.

Jade headed straight home after he class, not even stopping by her locker. She couldn't risk seeing Beck right now, and she needed to be alone to process the events of this afternoon. It was on the drive home that Jade's emotions finally started to retreat, leaving a hollow emptiness that anxiety was happy to fill.

She was alone. The word rang through her mind like a dreadful tower bell. It was the one thing she feared above all else, and in her fury she had willingly caused it. Beck and her might still be together if she just relented a little, but she couldn't do it. And Beck really didn't seem that worried after their fight – he never apologized, and he didn't seem to care if she stayed or left. Jade talked herself back into being angry and her anxiety took a back seat to let her irritation drive.

That evening, Jade distracted herself with horror movies. She intentionally avoided looking at social media; she wasn't interested in what anyone at school was saying, and everyone in the hall had heard their argument and break-up. Jade settled into a fitful sleep that night, her emotions see-sawing between fear and anger. She didn't clearly remember her dreams that night, a small silver lining to the otherwise second-worst day of her life.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: As always, thank you so much for reading this story. I'm glad so many people have enjoyed it so far. An especially big thank you to those who have left reviews, marked the story as a favorite or decided to follow it – I can't say how much I appreciate your support and feedback.**

**A few people had commented that the end of the last chapter was a good time to depart from canon, and I agree. It's one of three major points in the canon that I think are ripe for stories that want to depart from it. And I have so many stories I want to write about these characters, especially Tori and Jade, that depart from canon. As you may have guessed, this story will stay fully on canon and continue to explore the off-screen moments, the inner monologues and the character motivations that establish context for the canon events and show how and why Jade and Tori would end up together. I hope those of you who have enjoyed the story so far will continue to enjoy it.**

* * *

The next morning solidified whatever doubt Jade still harbored that yesterday marked the end of her relationship with Beck. On a typical day, she would meet Beck for coffee in the Cafe before class. Today, there was still coffee, but no Beck. Jade's coffee tasted more bitter than usual, despite her usual two sugars. Jade thought that as the day continued, she'd settle into a normal rhythm. After all, she usually only saw Beck before school, between classes, at lunch, after school...

Jade sighed to herself and walked to class, her feelings a rotating set of contradictions. She was raw and numb, mad at herself and mad at Beck. To his credit, Beck performed perfectly – he was completely absent from Jade's space all morning. Exactly as he planned.

The day passed in a fuzzy haze. Jade didn't even see Tori all morning, leaving her absent a minor distraction from how awful and empty she felt. Even the bell calling for lunch wasn't a joyous break; it just served as an excuse to find more coffee, and she wasn't really enjoying that today. Still, habits died hard.

Jade sat at a far table in the Asphalt Cafe. She was alone, but she needed the hum of people around her to provide a little comfort. She didn't want to interact with anyone, so the far table provided the crowded isolation she sought. Jade slowly picked at her salad without an appetite, her mind lost in itself. Her attention returned to the real world as Sinjin and another boy sat across from her. She couldn't even muster the energy for the visceral reaction she wanted to have.

"No," she firmly stated, intensely staring at the boys. Jade was in luck; even without her usual energy, Sinjin and his associate took the hint and instantly left. Jade sipped her coffee and returned to stabbing her salad. Even that short interaction had drained her small energy reserves; she rested her arm on the table and held her temple with two fingers.

Tori was worried. With the way Jade and Beck usually fought, Tori was hopeful that yesterday had blown over and the two were back together today. Even though Jade and her weren't really friends, she didn't like seeing anyone, especially couples, fight and hurt. She even checked on TheSlap last night and this morning, only finding a few kids spreading pretty awful rumors about why the two had broken up. For the first time since attending Hollywood Arts, Tori stopped herself from checking her social media the rest of the morning.

Still, Tori was looking for any signs of Jade and Beck's reconciliation and she didn't see either of them this morning. At lunch, she finally saw Jade. The girl looked upset and alone at a far table in the outdoor lunch room. Tori was walking with Andre, and she turned to convince him to sit with Jade. To Tori's surprise, Andre was already staring at the table occupied by Jade and he wore a terrified expression. Tori furrowed her eyebrows in frustration at Andre and nodded towards Jade. Andre immediately shook his head and tried to walk the other way. Tori frowned. Sure, Jade could be mean, but why was Andre scared of her? She never dumped coffee on **his** head.

Tori reached out and grabbed Andre's backpack. When he spun around to protest more, Tori glared at him and, without another word, walked towards Jade's table. As Tori approached the table, she ran a hand through her hair and put on a smile. People in pain could use a little sunshine to their lives, if only to distract them for a little while.

"Hey," Tori greeted her brightly. Andre greeted her far less enthusiastically, but Tori did her best to ignore him. "You look a little like a lady who could use some lunch buddies," she explained, smiling widely.

Jade was frozen. Tori had approached her out of nowhere and a part of Jade lunged for the girl's presence. Anything familiar, anything Jade modestly understood, even if she didn't fully understand Tori yet. It took Jade a second to push that emotion back down before she scoffed at Tori's comment. Jade kept her face a blank slate, despite her inner turmoil.

"Please," she said in a dull tone, turning back to her food. The response allowed her to play off Tori's offer and appease the part of her internally screaming for companionship. Tori was taken aback, catching only Jade's sarcasm, the sincerity successfully stashed away.

"Well, I just thought that you were mad because of," Tori began. Jade refused to allow her emotions to be explained to her.

"I broke up with Beck, okay? I dumped him," she stated firmly, but her tone was tired. She didn't sound mean or threatening; she sounded exhausted. Tori wasn't sure how to respond to that and pleadingly looked at Andre, who offered no help. As Tori was about to silently join on her lunch, a bright yellow, expensive looking car pulled into the parking lot beyond the Cafe gate. Tori couldn't help her reaction when she saw Beck and the driver of the car.

"Is that Alyssa Vaughn?!" she asked incredulously, not trusting her eyes. Jade frowned.

"Yeah. So?" Jade challenged, clearly hurt. Tori met her gaze and instantly realized she had messed up.

"Nothing! She's gross," Tori backpedaled. She needed to distract Jade, or offer a peace treaty or something. Was there anything Jade liked? She seemed to enjoy cutting up french fries the other day. It would have to do. Tori picked up a single fry and held it out as an olive branch. "French fry?" she asked in a hopeful tone. Jade just started at it, contemplating for a brief moment before sighing and returning to her food. The salad was clearly not going to satisfy her, so she picked up her burrito. If she could just get a few bites down, maybe she wouldn't feel so empty.

Any hope she had to ignore the situation like she wanted was dashed when Andre started to bloviate about how 'smoking hot' Alyssa Vaughn was. Jade stared at the boy in tired disbelief, her irritation growing. Tori stated at him, too, clearly flabbergasted. Andre realized, too late, that he should be quiet. Tori sighed, placing a hand against her temple. Why did Andre have to make this harder? Tori smiled nervously and addressed Jade again,

"Look, he didn't mean," she began, but Jade interrupted once again.

"I don't care," she lied, trying to sound firm and failing. At the thought of Beck being with someone else, Jade's temper flared briefly. Jade missed her tightening grip on her food. "If Beck wants to date **that**, I hope he has **fun** with it, " she forced out through tightly-clenched teeth, smiling insincerely and looking Tori in the eye. Tori was nervous again. Jade was clearly lying, but there would be nothing to gain by calling her out.

"Uh," Tori tried to begin, drawing a blank. How was she supposed to console Jade when Jade wasn't being honest with herself?

"What?" Jade asked firmly, but without malice. Tori looked up at Jade with a sympathetic look. She settled on a neutral observation instead, hoping to draw Jade's attention to her contradictory statement and body language.

"You're hurting your burrito," she calmly stated. Surprised, Jade then realized how much she had squeezed her food, the burrito's contents collected in a puddle at the bottom of the plastic tray in which it was served. She looked down at the burrito with a disgusted look. Not just with the mutilated food, but herself. She had been caught, and **Tori** had been the one to catch her.

She missed Beck. Worse, she was going to have to eat crow to get him back. Jade hated apologizing almost as much as she hated being wrong in the first place. The plan formed quickly in Jade's mind. She would find Beck and talk to him at the end of school today, she would apologize, and then this whole thing would be over. The allure of normalcy propelled Jade from her seat as quickly as she could. Her attention on her food ceased and she left the cafe. She didn't notice the burrito slop splashing on Tori and Andre, both of whom looked horrified and confused about what to do now that Jade had run off.

"So, when do I get to say I told you so?" Andre grumbled, wiping burrito guts from his shirt. Tori was mid-movement with a napkin to remove the same slop from her hair. Tori's answer was a half-hearted glare at Andre. She hoped Jade would figure this out on her own; the girl clearly wasn't ready for any help.

It took until the final bell, but Jade finally found Beck at his locker preparing to leave for the day. It took most of her skills as an actress to confidently stride up to Beck, even though her real feelings were far from it.

"Hey," she said, a little too quickly. Beck looked at her.

"Hi," he said flatly, returning his gaze to his locker. Jade frowned. Of course Beck was going to make this hard. Jade sighed.

"Look, I screwed up, okay? You were right, I was being ridiculous," Jade admitted, the taste of guilt bitter on her tongue. Beck stopped and looked at her. He was in careful control of his emotions and his face, and he knew he had to play this off correctly or nothing would change.

"Okay. And?" he prompted, again his tone and face blank. Jade scowled in confusion.

"It's pretty obvious, Beck. I messed up, and I want to get back together," she said, her voice starting to fail her. Beck hadn't been this distant since they first started going out, and seeing him respond this way scared Jade a little. Beck looked up, seeming to think for a moment before he responded.

"No," he responded tersely, grabbing the last book from his locker and shutting it. Jade's eyes opened wide, her eyebrows practically reaching her hairline.

"No?" she questioned in shock. There's no way Beck had just rejected her, but it definitely sounded like he had.

"No, I don't want to get back together," he confirmed while looking at her. The pain and shock on her face almost caused Beck to drop the act, but he broke eye contact and walked past her. He finally released a withheld sigh after creating sufficient distance. He knew she wouldn't follow him; she'd be too shocked that he didn't roll over and welcome her back with open arms.

Jade stood still, staring at the spot where Beck had been standing just a moment ago. He said no. He didn't want to be with her. It was actually over? Jade practically stumbled out of school; the walk to her car a subconscious action. Jade didn't remember the drive home; suddenly, she realized she was in her driveway. As the engine died, Jade's wall cracked and she had no hope of stopping the tears.

Jade didn't know how long she sat in her car, parked in her driveway at home, her body wracked by sobs. She was faced with her greatest fear, and it paralyzed her with hopelessness. When no more tears would come, she just stared at the steering wheel, her chest heaving as her breath refused to calm. Her anxiety fueled the cycle throughout her emotional episode; she was alone, she couldn't be alone, no one wanted to be with her, no one could even stand to be near her, so she was alone. The cycle poisoned her mind and prevented any logical resolution.

The buzzing of her phone broke Jade's attention from her emotions. For a fleeting moment, a flicker of hope returned that Beck was calling her. That hope died as quickly as it was birthed when she saw it was just a reminder from TheSlap that she hadn't checked her social media updates recently. She was about to turn off her phone when she saw one of the updates was Tori's post from yesterday. Jade's breathing calmed slightly.

Tori was an option. She sought Jade out at lunch today, and that meant something. And for whatever reason, Beck seemed to care what Tori thought. Jade hated asking anyone for help, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Besides, she didn't hate the idea of asking Tori for help as much as she thought she should.

Calling would mean Tori would have her cell phone number, if she even picked up. Anything in writing like social media felt weak and pathetic to Jade, so that was out. She knew she was a disaster; driving wouldn't be an option, and she didn't even know where Tori lived. Jade thought about that for a moment. Andre should know where Tori lived, if Tori's social media posts were to be believed. But Andre would never tell Jade directly; he definitely would think Jade was going to use the information to torment Tori somehow. Jade nodded for a moment as she dialed Cat's number. They had all exchanged numbers a few years ago when they formed the ping pong team, although Jade almost never called any of them. An overly cheerful voice was Jade's reward for calling the hyperactive redhead.

"Jade, hi! I'm so happy you called, you never call me!" came the piercing voice on the other end of the line. Jade sighed.

"Yeah, hey Cat. Listen, I need you to," Jade started, trying to cut to the chase. Cat's lack of attention caused her to cut off Jade without hesitation.

"I didn't see you at school today. You didn't skip, did you? My brother skipped school a few times and," Cat droned on, oblivious to Jade's attempts to focus her attention. Jade was too upset to be too irritated. There was a good reason she never called Cat. She needed a happy Cat, though, and shouting would upset the fragile girl. Jade held her phone in her lap and waited until Cat blew through her inane stories. After a few minutes, Jade sensed an opening and jumped back into the call.

"Sure, Cat. Listen, text Andre and ask for Tori's address," Jade instructed, keeping her request short and simple. Even Cat couldn't screw this up.

"Kay kay," came Cat's compliant response. It seemed to take her a few seconds longer than reasonable for a thought to strike the easy-natured girl. "Wait, why am I getting Tori's address?" she asked.

"Tell Andre you were supposed to go there, but you forgot to ask Tori earlier today," Jade easily lied. Andre wouldn't question it; Cat had forgotten to prepare in exactly that manner several other times the group had gone out together. She could almost hear Cat nod on the other end of the phone. "And stay on the call until he texts you back," Jade added quickly, realizing that Cat would have ended their call without that instruction. Cat had almost hung up, as well, so Jade's direction barely came in time. Instead, Cat followed Jade's instructions perfectly. Andre responded almost immediately with Tori's address.

"Okay, he responded, but I don't understand why you're," Cat started to tell Jade, but Jade cut her off this time.

"Good, read his response," Jade stated, careful to avoid actually asking Cat for Tori's address. Cat pulled her phone away from her ear and read the address out loud. Jade quickly scribbled the location in a small notebook and hung up. Cat heard a disconnect noise and frowned at her phone. She thought Jade was acting very strange.

Jade looked up the address on her phone. Tori lived surprisingly nearby; it couldn't be more than a thirty minute walk from Jade's house. Better than driving, at least. Jade stepped out of her car and locked it behind her. Besides, hopefully the walk would give her time to figure out how she would actually ask Tori for help. Jade never asked for help, let alone from people who threatened to overshadow her. Jade began towards Tori's house, losing herself in thought about the mess of a situation she had created.


	12. Chapter 12

The walk to Tori's house passed faster than Jade anticipated. It was when she realized that she was about five minutes away that Jade began to panic. She had no plan and that was terrifying. Jade stopped in her tracks and, eyes closed, lifted her head up to the sky. The early evening sun was warm on her face and the wind was light and cool.

Jade took a deep, controlled breath. She needed to focus. She slowly opened her eyes, a practiced motion from her previous attempts to control anxiety-induced panic. She found she was looking up at a tall bush outside a nearby park. Nestled in its lower branches was a kite that looked worse for the wear. Jade laughed bitterly. "Broken, like me," she thought in self-pity. Wait.

It didn't take much effort for Jade to reach the kite and pull it from the bush. It was a weak opening, but it would do.

"Ow!" Tori shouted as she fell to the ground. Trina was way too focused on video game tennis and had whacked her right in the head. Tori looked up at her sister incredulously. "I don't want to play anymore," she whined in pain. The doorbell rang as Tori pushed herself back up. Trina scoffed and walked away, leaving Tori to answer the door. Tori rolled her eyes. Why was Trina so impossible all the time?

Tori's first thought upon opening the door was that she was hallucinating. She must have hit the ground harder than she first thought.

Standing on her porch was Jade, but not a Jade Tori had ever seen. This girl looked depressed and broken, ready to burst into tears any moment – a far cry from the intimidating, visceral, dark girl that came to Tori's mind easily with Jade's name. Also, Tori only barely realized that Jade shouldn't know where she lived. In fact, no one from school other than Andre had ever been to her house.

"Jade?" Tori asked, greatly concerned and confused. Jade tried to answer but her trembling lips stopped all sound. She averted Tori's gaze and rushed forward, holding the colorful kite close to her chest as she walked into the house. Tori blinked. "And now you're in my house," she commented to herself as she closed the door. Tori slowly turned towards Jade as the home intruder whipped back around, now firmly in the building. Jade found her voice, but without the benefit of careful rehearsal she wasn't sure how she was going to present her case.

"This kite is broken," she said sadly, staring at Tori. "Please understand," she silently pleaded, hoping Tori would get it quickly and not prolong Jade's suffering. Tori placed her hands on her hips. She needed to be careful around Jade and, and it was unclear what Jade was trying to say.

"Okay," she responded. "And?" she prompted, hoping Jade would clarify her point. Jade couldn't stop the stream of incoherence that poured forth.

"I was just walking around, and I saw this kite stuck in a bush and it's broken and **someone** needs to fix it!" she rambled, shaking the kite for emphasis. She could tell she was losing it; she hadn't cried since her call with Cat and now she was fighting back the tears. "Come on, Tori..." Jade's thoughts continued to hope. Tori obviously had experience helping people; she had to understand what Jade was trying to say, right?

Tori was even more confused. Jade clearly was distraught. Her face was puffy, like she had been crying recently, but her words weren't making any sense. This had to be about Beck, right? But why was Jade here?

"You want me to fix your kite?" Tori asked flatly. She was sure that wasn't what Jade wanted, but the dark-clothed girl was being as clear as coal. Jade mentally cursed and grew indignant.

"Would you forget about the stupid kite?!" she shouted, her voice cracking. She threw the offending item to the ground and kicked it for good measure when it dared settle near her. The tears were coming. She wrapped her arm around her middle in self-comfort. She really did not want to cry in front of Tori, but she wasn't going to have a choice for long if Tori didn't understand soon.

"I'm sorry I brought it up?" she half-apologized, half-asked while she looked at Jade with concern. Jade reached her breaking point.

"I want Beck back!" Jade cried out as the tears began to fall. Tori didn't like seeing anyone in pain, but she tried to speak with Jade about this at lunch.

"But you broke up with Beck," Tori retorted, using Jade's own words from earlier that day.

"I know!" Jade admitted, but her emotions once again turned her into an incoherent mess of verbal garbage. Jade began to pace. "Just like when I was seven and I threw away my Potato Patch Pal, but then I realized I wanted it back, but it was too late cuz my mother already gave it away to some greedy orphans!" she fell onto the couch and covered her face with one hand. Jade hated crying.

Tori wasn't sure how to handle the situation and looked away. Jade was upset and clearly understood what she wanted, but she sounded borderline inconsolable. Tori wasn't great at handling relationship issues; she only had one friend back at Sherwood who ever came to her for this type of advice, and Tori had only dated one guy at that point. Tori hesitated. Should she really be giving advice? Had Jade even asked for it? A logical, safe approach was probably best. Tori sighed.

"Jade, if you want to get back together with Beck, then why don't you just tell him?" Tori asked, specifically choosing the word "tell" instead of "ask" - Jade was a "tell" type of person, after all, and Tori hoped that would help Jade focus. Jade's continued breakdown proved otherwise.

"I did! But he rejected me!" Jade admitted, her voice cracking. Tori looked away from Jade for a moment, conflicted with her thoughts. Jade still hadn't really asked for help, and as far as Tori knew they weren't really friends. It was bothering her why Jade was still here unless she wanted help, and Tori had to know where the lines lay.

"Um. Not to be mean, but why are you coming to me for help?" Tori asked while taking a few slow steps towards her. Jade couldn't admit that she had no friends other than Beck, and Tori was the only other person who had ever shown to care about Jade's feelings. She quickly settled on a comfortable lie, but she couldn't look at Tori directly.

"Because I don't want anyone who's cool to see me like this!" Jade exclaimed, forcing her tone to sound indignant. Tori caught the dishonest tone, but if Jade had to lie to herself, so be it. She wasn't sure what Jade was lying about, but it wouldn't help to call her out on it now. Tori focused back on the problem, but her thought was interrupted once again.

"Okay, maybe you should...Wait, are we friends? We're not even friends!" Tori said out loud. If she was going to help or offer comfort, she at least wanted to help a friend or someone who could be a friend eventually. To Jade's credit, she had seemed to take the "be nice" advice to heart, but maybe Tori could gently push her a little further.

Jade winced behind her hand at Tori's blunt comment. Jade knew she had said practically the same thing to Trina last week, but hearing Tori say it out loud hurt for some reason. Jade couldn't backtrack now, but maybe she could pivot.

"Well, yeah. But if you help me, maybe I'll like you," she pleaded, looking at Tori desperately. Tori noticed that Jade only looked at her when saying "help me" and "like you". Other than her outburst about wanting Beck back, to Tori it seemed like this was the only other honest thought Jade had shared with her since barging into Tori's house. Jade's mood wasn't improving, and Tori figured feeding Jade's depressed state wouldn't help. Jade seemed to react with anger as a distraction, so Tori decided a little sarcasm might help. Her honesty at lunch hadn't worked, after all.

"So, if I help you, I get a mean friend **and** a broken kite?" Tori teased, sitting down next to Jade on the couch and smiling flatly at her. As Jade looked up from her hands, Tori saw the girl's mascara had started running and realized her sarcasm wasn't helping. Jade was so upset she wasn't even getting mad. Tori's flat smile fell open in concern.

Jade needed Tori's help or else she was going to be all alone. That thought was the final straw; Jade's walls fell.

"Please! Just, please talk to Beck for me!" Jade begged before she buried her face in a decorative pillow from the couch. She began sobbing loudly, the pillow muffling her as best it could. Tori's heart broke and she briefly looked away from the crying girl. Jade's entire body was heaving as she sobbed. Tori hesitated once again before gingerly scooting closer to Jade. Tori gently reached out a hand and pat Jade on the back of her head in what she hoped was a comforting motion. Why was she so awkward around Jade? After a long few seconds, Tori reached her decision.

"Okay. Okay, okay! I'll talk to Beck!" she admitted, not entirely happy with herself. Jade mustered a muffled reply through her sobs.

"Do it soon," she tried to command, although with her crying it sounded more like further begging. Tori rolled her eyes and, feeling conflicted, looked down at Jade. With a plan of action now in place, Jade found a foothold and was able to pull herself out of the abyss. She stopped crying and lifted her head from the pillow. With a short breath and sniffle, Jade pulled her hair back over her ears and looked down at the pillow with a frown.

"I got a little make-up on your pillow," she whined and held it out for Tori to see. Tori had noticed immediately; it was a significant amount of make-up. Jade felt bad about it, but it was an accident; she had reacted and grabbed the nearest object to hide her face. Tori silently sighed and reached out for the pillow.

"It's okay," she forced herself to say in a calm tone. "I'll just ask my grandmother to make me another one," she dishonestly continued with a nervous smile and laugh. She wanted Jade to feel better, but internally she was conflicted. Jade looked up at Tori, glad to hear she hadn't ruined something else. Tori felt sick lying to Jade and looked away from her. "If she ever comes back to life," she deadpanned. Jade's mouth fell open, aghast and she turned away. They sat in a few moments of silence.

"I'm sorry I ruined your pillow," Jade said quietly, her emotions finally recovering. Jade hated apologizing, but Tori had agreed to help her and she did earnestly feel bad about destroying a present from Tori's dead grandmother. Tori was still upset, but realized that hopefully she could find out how to wash the pillow and it wouldn't be completely ruined. Tori nodded.

"Well, since I need to talk to Beck for you, where does he live? I'll go there tonight and talk with him. Maybe that way you both can sort this out tomorrow," she said, changing the subject. It was Jade's turn to nod. Jade relayed Beck's address and Tori wrote it down in her phone. They were silent again for another moment; Jade had no idea what else to say to Tori. Jade stood up and held her upper arm with one hand.

"Okay. See you at school tomorrow," she said as she walked towards the front door. She opened the door and looked back quickly at Tori, her expression between pain and recovery. "Thanks," she quickly and quietly said before she stepped outside and closed it behind her.

The entire scene was so foreign, so unexpected, that as the front door closed, Tori considered for a moment whether she had a concussion. A quick look down at the soiled pillow in her lap confirmed the event had actually transpired, and Tori let out a loud sigh.

"Why do I care about helping her?" Tori thought to herself, reflective of her friendship, or lack thereof, with the sullen actress. Tori didn't hate much, but she did hate meddling in other people's relationships. It was a source of constant drama at Sherwood and she never cared for it or about it. Yet, here she was, about to interfere just because Jade asked her to. Tori tossed the ruined pillow back on the couch and walked up to her room. She needed to clean up a bit before she went to Beck's, and she needed to figure out how she was going to get there tonight.

* * *

It wasn't a long walk to Beck's house, and the April evening air wasn't uncomfortable in Los Angeles with a light jacket. Beck's family lived in a nice ranch-style home, but Tori found herself more than a little surprised when Beck's mom turned her around at the front door and pointed her in the direction of an old tow-able RV in the driveway. "The Silver Streak" blazed a neon-red sign near the door and a tacky doorbell had been hastily installed, its wires still exposed. Tori pushed the doorbell and rolled her eyes at the querying reply.

"Who is it?" came a voice that strained to sound feminine.

"I know that's you, Beck!" Tori called back with a slight roll of her eyes. Why did boys always think they could fool someone with a higher pitched voice?

Tori's face flushed in embarrassment when an older woman, obviously a housekeeper by her equipment, opened the door and stepped out of the RV. Beck was close behind the cleaning woman and, after thanking her for her services, invited Tori into his 'room'. Beck was as confused about Tori's presence as she was about Beck's living condition. Sure, Beck found Tori attractive, but he had just broken up with Jade yesterday. Was Tori already trying to make a move? That would complicate his plans. Still, he knew it was better to let this play out and see what was really going on before jumping to conclusions.

Tori looked around the small interior of the RV, partially aware that this was the first of her friend's houses she had visited since attending Hollywood Arts. She couldn't help herself from looking around, drinking in the sights of a space that reflected its occupant. Beck watched Tori carefully, chancing a full body check of her when her back was turned.

"So, this is where you live?" she asked in a neutral tone. Beck ran a hand through his hair nervously and glanced away.

"Is that bad?" he asked back, artfully dodging a question before he understood why she was asking. Tori spun around quickly, concerned she had offended the boy.

"No!" she quickly clarified. "It's cool, it's just, you know, most high school guys don't live in an RV parked in their parent's driveway," she smoothed over, only partially lying. It was odd in a way she hadn't pinned to Beck based on his behavior; she was certain there was more to the story of how Beck came to live in like this.

Beck could tell Tori was testing him; her body language gave away that she wasn't being fully honest. Still, he had a canned answer for when this question came up with others, and it always satisfied them.

"Well, my parent's said if I lived under their roof, I gotta live by their rules," he replied with an easy shrug. Tori laughed politely as he concluded that he lived by his own rules now. Beck picked up an apple, looking to distract his hands. "So...?" he prompted, wondering why Tori was actually here. He would question how she knew his address, but that hadn't stopped a veritable army of teenage girls tracking him down over the last couple of years.

"So, you're probably wondering why I'm here," Tori started, voice pitching upwards as she entered uncomfortable territory. She was already thinking about having to bring up Jade to Beck, and it was distracting her. As she continued, she dropped the pitch of her voice to mimic a boy speaking. "Like, hey, Tori's here, what up with that?"

Beck smiled nervously. "That's how I talk?" he questioned with a tilt and lopsided grin. After Tori explained that it was just a generic boy voice, Beck replied with very dry sarcasm. "Ah. I like it. Do more," he said, taking a seat and looking up at her. Truthfully, Beck was stalling for time and avoiding committing to any answer until Tori's purpose for her visit was clear.

Tori didn't catch Beck's sarcasm and continued with her poor mimicry. "Hey man, why don't you get back together with Jade? You know what I'm saying? Yeah," she presented with a false bravado that only belonged to the generic boy whose voice she was borrowing.

Whatever Beck was expecting, **that** wasn't what he thought Tori would say. He looked away from Tori and sat up slowly. He heard her clearly, but he needed to buy time to think about how to handle this. After a short moment, he looked up at Tori with pursed lips and raised eyebrows.

"I should get back together with Jade?" he asked, sounding every bit as incredulous as he felt.

"Uh huh," Tori affirmed quietly with a nod.

"Why?" Beck retorted, sounding short and irritated. He placed more emphasis here than he actually felt in order to pull Tori's true motive forward. Tori and Jade weren't friends – why would Tori care about him and Jade being together? There was something going on that Beck didn't understand, and he needed to know in order to manipulate it to his benefit.

Beck's question pierced Tori like a hot knife. Why, indeed, was Tori helping Jade? She didn't know the first thing about Jade and Beck's relationship.

"Cuz, she's...you know...awesome?" Tori offered, unaware she was projecting her own thoughts about Jade on Beck in a desperate effort to fulfill her commitment to the struggling girl.

Beck sat on his couch for a moment, a plan quickly forming. Obviously Jade had blackmailed Tori to come here tonight after Beck rejected Jade's proposal to get back together earlier that day. Jade wouldn't have anyone else to turn to – the other boys wouldn't care, and Cat would be too unfocused. If Jade was looking for help, that meant her walls were crumbling, which meant there was still a chance this would all blow over soon and he'd have the chance to push Jade to change a little further. Well, if Tori had become Jade's confidante, then it was a good thing she was here. Beck leaned forward and stood up, a dangerous clean in his eye and a firm resolve in his voice that came from seemingly nowhere.

"Guess what?" he asked Tori rhetorically. Her face fell. No one ever said anything good after asking that. "I'm glad Jade and I broke up," Beck said, pushing as much conviction into his voice as he could. It wasn't the truth, but he needed Tori to think it was untainted by ulterior motives. It seemed to work because Tori looked and sounded aghast.

"Why?" she asked in disbelief.

"Cuz, I can't remember the last time she did one nice thing for me," Beck explained, his expression unreadable. Tori figured it must be exaggeration.

"Oh, c'mon, didn't you just have a birthday?" she asked, certain Beck was overlooking something. "She didn't get you anything for your birthday?" This was perfect – Beck had the best response possible, and he knew Tori would pull it right back in front of Jade because of how ridiculous it sounded. Best of all, Jade wouldn't be able to deny it, which would make everything else Beck said appear sincere.

"She got me a can of lemonade," he said quietly as he looked Tori directly in the eyes. Tori's eyes widened and Beck just nodded to assure Tori heard him correctly.

"That, uh. Wow," Tori said, deflating in front of Beck's eyes. Tori knew that Jade socialized in a very unique way, but she figured that with Beck it would be more typical. Tori wasn't sure if it was surprise or relief to hear that Jade's ability to fulfill social obligations with her boyfriend were just as screwed up as her behavior with everyone else. Tori was broken out of her thoughts by a hand on her shoulder.

"Listen, Tori. You're a good friend, but I'm good. Did you need a ride home?" Beck offered. Tori shook her head quickly.

"No, it's not far. I'll just head back, since you're good and all," Tori replied, playing unskillfully into Beck's intentional opening to make it about him. Tori wasn't sure why, but she preferred to let Beck think it was about him and not Jade. Tori was certain that Jade wouldn't want anyone, Beck included, to know that Jade had broken down at Tori's house earlier that evening.

As they said their goodbyes, Beck shut the door to his RV and sighed. The interaction with Tori had taken a lot of his energy; it was hard to pretend that he wasn't missing his girlfriend of practically two years, and the lies to Tori felt bitter on his tongue. Still, now Tori would go back to Jade and say that whatever plan Jade had forced onto Tori hadn't worked, and Jade would be forced to confront this situation in an honest way. And then she'd come crawling back to him and he'd finally have the upper hand for once in their relationship.


	13. Chapter 13

Tori thought about Beck's words on the walk back home and found herself increasingly frustrated. It wasn't fair for Jade, who wasn't even her friend, to ask her to jump in between the dispute. Just the same, it wasn't fair for Beck to feed Tori the carefully selected information that he had. Tori wasn't stupid – Beck was sharing only what he wanted to share, and it was just enough to paint Jade as inconsiderate and thoughtless. Tori felt her stomach drop. She thought Beck was all about 'transparency' and 'no secrets'. This entire situation was an uncomfortable reminder to Tori that, new school or not, what people said about themselves and how they acted didn't always line up.

Which brought Tori back to Jade. The girl clearly placed a lot of trust in Tori's ability to smooth things over with Beck. Meanwhile, Tori didn't think Beck was lying about the birthday present, but there was something else hidden beneath that small kernel of truth. Jade and Beck were both similar in that way; they both didn't quite say what they were thinking, and there was always a little more under the surface they intentionally hid from the world. Maybe it was a moment of weakness, but Tori had seen what lay behind Jade's walls and they had spoken plainly earlier. For now, Tori was willing to give Jade the benefit of the doubt.

The next morning, as Tori entered the now familiar double doors of the main hall, she mentally cursed her luck. Jade was already waiting for Tori at her locker. Tori couldn't help but look Jade up and down as she approached. Jade's long brown hair was styled in lazy waves near the ends, and she was wearing a black lace top. It was simple, but it matched her green, black-spotted skirt and black boots. Jade looked nice – pretty even. Tori shook her head. Of course Jade looked nice today – she thought Tori had talked Beck into whisking her back into his life, so naturally she'd doll herself up for the occasion. Tori barely reached her locker when Jade's raised eyebrows greeted her expectantly.

"So?" she asked too quickly.

Jade hadn't slept well. After leaving Tori's house, Jade refused to head straight home. The place was oppressive on the best days, and this was very much not one of those. She wasn't as familiar with the area near Tori's house, so she looked up a nearby coffee shop on her phone and walked there instead. Without much to do other than sulk, Jade sipped on a coffee until the shop closed. By the time she got home, it was past ten and caffeine was still roaring through her veins. Exhausted but awake, Jade laid in her pitch-black bedroom for hours listening to her anxiety-spiked heart pound in her ears, a white dwarf in the vast expanse of space revolving around herself at hyperspeed.

Tori sighed. She really wasn't looking forward to confronting Jade with the biased information Beck had shared, but she had agreed to talk with the boy on the gloomy girl's behalf.

"Beck had some...interesting stuff to share," Tori started carefully while opening her locker. Jade's teeth clicked close.

"Girl," Jade warned, a slight growl emitting from deep in her throat. Tori rolled her eyes.

"Information," Tori clarified, mentally chastising herself. Jade's paranoia latched onto the smallest vagueness, Tori noticed. Words were clearly important to the girl. "He said you only got him a can of lemonade for his birthday," Tori continued. Jade scoffed.

"Cuz he likes lemonade!" she defended, looking away briefly. Jade realized how bad that sounded, but she hadn't given anyone a birthday present since she was very young. Beck should know that. That can of lemonade was proof Jade understood his birthday would be important to Beck, and she only cared about his opinion anyway, so she made an attempt. Her heart throbbed like an open wound hearing Beck second-handed attack her with that information. He hadn't said anything at the time.

Tori looked at Jade with disbelief. "Yeah, but out of a can?" she questioned, her voice pitching upwards. Jade was such an enigma; how could she possibly think that was a valid birthday present?

Jade looked at Tori wide-eyed. Was Tori seriously judging her now, too? "He drank it," Jade challenged while staring at Tori. Tori wasn't willing to let it go, though.

"Yeah, but-" Jade had enough – this was pointless. She held up a hand.

"**Do** I have a boyfriend, or **don't** I?" she interrupted, her voice breaking. She didn't even want to think about not having Beck as a boyfriend; just asking was almost enough to bring on the hot, unwelcome, useless tears again. As if fate had poured salt into human form, Sinjin walked around the corner behind Jade at that very moment.

"Do you want one?" he asked in his usual creepy, desperate manner. Jade refused to even look at him.

"Walk away," she threatened. Sinjin complied, lowering his head and quickly darting away. Tori watched Sinjin leave, unable to keep the disgust from her face. That kid gave her unpleasant goosebumps. With Sinjin safely beyond them, Tori closed her locker and moved to the vending machines. She needed something sugary to distract her from the bitter conversation with Jade.

"Tori, you haven't answered me," Jade reminded her in a cool tone. It was taking all of Jade's energy to avoid meltdown. Tori frowned as she stepped past the girl she was hoping to convert into a friend.

"Jade, I...I don't know how to answer that. Beck just-" Tori started, hoping to find the right words, but it was too late. The collapsing star behind her was hoarding the air, and Tori couldn't continue when Jade's cry interrupted her once again.

"Help me!" Jade begged, throwing her hands up uselessly in the air before letting them fall. She was already on the verge of tears, but she could only see Tori; the rest of the school didn't exist outside her tunnel vision. Tori was her only chance to get back with Beck; she had to succeed!

Tori whipped around, her patience finally spent. "I tried!" she responded firmly without malice. "Maybe you just need to forget about Beck," she suggested hastily.

Tori realized immediately those were the exact wrong words. Jade's jaw would touch the floor if it fell open any harder. She mouthed the word "forget", her voice uselessly sputtering and refusing to work. Jade felt a foreign pressure, and she quickly scanned the hallway.

She was in the middle of school, surrounded by her peers, and she was going to cry. She couldn't be here. She had to move – now! But she needed Tori. Without a second thought, Jade lunged forward and latched onto Tori's wrist in a death grip. In one fluid motion, Jade twisted around and leaned toward, pooling all her strength and pulling Tori with her. Too late, Tori realized she was trapped in Jade's grasp. She tried to pull back, but Jade was **strong**. Much stronger than Tori expected. Tori rapid-fired a series of verbal dissents, but she couldn't stop Jade's momentum.

Suddenly, Tori was thrust into the janitor's closet and Jade was closing the door from the inside, locking then both in. Tori sighed.

"And now we're in a closet," she deadpanned to herself. She was able to focus once Jade flipped on the lights and turned around. Jade began to fan her face, a desperate attempt to prevent the already falling tears from further ruining her make-up.

"How can Beck not want me back?!" she asked rhetorically, lost in self-pity. "I'm so cool. And hot! I've got it all!" she cried out, hunched over a toolbox, her face buried in her hands. Tori looked upwards, praying for the right words. Sure, Jade was attractive and interesting, but was she really so shallow? Thinking back to the scenes Jade had shared with Tori during their stage fighting assignment, Tori refused to believe it; Jade had already shown she was too smart for this. Tori tried to stay firm but sound a little more supportive to Jade.

"Yeah, but guy's don't just care about how cool and hot you are," Tori responded. Jade was past logic.

"What else is there?!" came her outburst as she looked up at Tori with her tear stained face. Tori felt bad, especially with how emotional Jade already had become, but Jade needed to hear the full truth. It was the only way she was going to grow past this situation.

"Beck said you haven't done one nice thing for him in two years," Tori repeated his claim. Jade looked aghast.

"That is so not true!" she defended herself. "We've only dated a year and eleven months," she continued as she buried her face into her hands once more. Tori rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but wonder why Jade had such a specific count on how long Beck and her were together. Happy couples didn't usually count to the month.

"Well, maybe he'd take you back if you did something nice for him," Tori thought out loud. She wasn't sure he would, but it stood up to reason. Besides, Tori was learning that Jade wasn't nice on her own volition. You had to do something pretty special for Jade to be nice to you. When Jade, still an emotional wreck, asked if Tori meant something like making Beck fresh lemonade, Tori felt her patience waning once again. She frowned at Jade and furrowed her eyebrows.

"You're going to have to think bigger than beverages," Tori told her. To her credit, Jade stopped and genuinely thought about a gift for a moment. What was something Beck wanted? Something he had talked about that he'd be thrilled to have? The answer came quicker than Jade realized and she only noticed after the fact she had screamed it out loud.

"A dog!" Jade said, pointing at Tori. Tori's frown deepened. What was wrong with this psychotic girl? Tori went out of her way to help, when she didn't need to; why was Jade bringing back up their first day of school at this point?

"Okay, if you're going to be rude-" Tori started, but Jade cut her off.

"No, no. Beck's always saying how he wants a dog," Jade clarified. Tori deflated. Oh. Of course. Tori felt a little embarrassment fill her chest. Jade couldn't remember what kind of dog though, but she thought it sounded like a "Rottenheimer". Tori looked at Jade flatly.

"A rottweiler?" she questioned in a tone that matched her expression. Another mental note: Jade was obviously not a dog person.

"Yes! Okay, what's our next move?" Jade asked, finally recovering her bearings. They both noticed Jade has asked "our" next move, and not "Jade's" next move. Tori had only agreed to talk with Beck, but now for some reason she was pulled into helping Jade find a dog? A giant knot in Tori's stomach refused to even acknowledge that "No" was a perfectly viable, reasonable answer when someone who is not a friend asks you to find their ex-boyfriend a dog in order to hook them back up. Why was Tori helping this miserable, mean girl?

"Because maybe she's not really all that mean," Tori thought to herself. "Maybe she's misunderstood, and scared and unable to communicate and has no one close to her to just talk to." To Tori, saying 'no' to Jade's request for help was like commanding the Sun to stay in bed beneath the horizon. Tori took a deep breath, ready to respond when the janitor shouted from under a blanket in the corner.

"Just get the boy a dog!" he gruffly shouted. Tori and Jade were both completely caught off guard. It was Tori who spoke first, catching Jade's eye.

"Go!" she commanded in a quiet, clear voice. Jade spun on the spot, whipped the door open, and they both practically ran from the closet and back into the empty hallway. The bell had rang minutes prior – they were both late. Tori really didn't like being late to class; Jade hated it too, but she hated being alone more. Before Tori could walk off, Jade grabbed her wrist again, softer this time. Tori looked at Jade inquisitively.

"Stay at your locker after the final bell. We'll look up dog shelters and call around. Then I'll drive us to get one," she said, laying out her plan quickly. Tori practically experienced whiplash at how quickly Jade's mood switched. When Jade was planning something, she was all business – it was like her emotions disappeared completely. Tori nodded quickly, eager to return to the rest of her day. It was only after Tori's agreement that Jade released the half-Latina from her grasp. Jade headed to class, but she already had her phone open. She was on a mission, and she'd be damned if anything stopped her from getting her boyfriend back.

* * *

As the school day came to close, Tori exchanged her books one final time at her locker. Any fear Tori had about waiting around was quenched as Jade approached her locker quickly, clearly eager to set her plan into motion. Tori didn't have a chance to even greet the focused actress before Jade was speaking to her.

"I found a place nearby that has a few rottweilers. We're going there and then straight to Beck's after we have the dog," she explained before turning around and towards the doors to the parking lot. It was obvious Tori was meant to follow her, so Jade didn't waste the words or energy on useless instructions. Tori understood the unspoken command and closed her locker, falling-in behind Jade quickly. Tori was surprised to see that Jade drove a fairly normal-looking black car. She half-expected the eclectic girl to drive a hearse, and she was pleasantly surprised her imagination had gotten the best of her. Wordlessly, Jade unlocked the doors and dropped into the car. Tori followed close behind, barely shutting her door before Jade took off.

Tori didn't drive, but again she was surprised by how cautious and how well Jade drove. She didn't quite know why she was expecting Jade to be a maniac behind the wheel, but the girl was deliberate and careful. Tori really wanted to ask several questions, but out of respect for Jade driving somewhere new and with her attention already diverted to the GPS on her phone, Tori decided to stay quiet the entire drive to the pet shelter. After the silent thirty minute drive, they arrived at a nondescript metal building. Jade killed the engine and stepped out of the car. Tori struggled to remove her seat belt, having missed the release mechanism, and followed a few seconds behind Jade. Jade wasn't waiting for Tori to catch up – she needed to speak with someone about a dog now.

The inside of the shelter was generic and utilitarian. Barely decorated front area, almost medicinal, and a stainless steel counter greeted her. She authoritatively stomped up to the metal counter.

"You have rottweilers, and I want to get one. Where are they?" she bluntly asked the seated attendant. The girl at the counter was taken aback by Jade's brashness.

"Uh, do – do you have an appointment? What's your name?" She stuttered out.

"Jade West, no. Do I need one?" Jade quickly answered, direct but not mean. The attendant shook her head.

"N-No, it's pretty slow today, so you're lucky," she explained. Tori caught up at that moment and stood nearby Jade; the attendant caught Tori's eye as she continued. "We have one rottweiler left, actually. I can show you him," she offered, standing up and moving to a swinging door. Jade didn't bother acknowledging the offer, instead choosing to walk through the door. Tori rolled her eyes and kept pace with Jade and the attendant.

The hallway reminded Tori of a hospital. Several doors lined the walls, and all of them looked to feed into what she would have called examination rooms. It was the third such room on the right that Jade stopped, the attendant opening the door.

"We're bringing him in now so you can see him. If you'll have a seat in the play room, we'll bring him right in," the attendant offered as she opened the door. Jade frowned and didn't enter the room.

"Can't we just buy him?" she asked, trying to keep the challenge out of her tone. Why did she need to play with a dog in order to buy him? She was in a hurry to get him to Beck. The attendant shook her head.

"No, all our dogs are rescues, so we have to make sure you like them as much as we need to make sure they like you. We don't let just anyone buy our dogs. We have to make sure they're going to a good home," she explained. Tori saw Jade was about to ruin their chance and interrupted to prevent the girl from doing anything rash.

"Thank you," she said, reaching out and touching the attendant on the arm and beaming a warm smile at her. "We'll just wait here, then," she said, looking up at Jade deliberately. Jade rolled her eyes and stomped into the small room. Tori followed after her and sat down next to her on the small bench. It wasn't a very large room, and they were sat closer together than they had ever been – their hips practically touching on the bench. Tori focused on a spot on the off-white walls to distract her from her proximity to Jade.

They didn't have to wait long before a very large dog was sharing the room with them. At first, Tori felt a little nervous to share a small space with such a large animal, but she quickly learned the dog was a complete sweetheart. At first glance, he appeared violent and mean, but he was actually a big softy when you pet him.

Jade didn't seem to care at all; she didn't reach out to pet him nor did she comment at all on him or Tori. She just stared at the dog, lost in thought. In reality, Jade was just barely keeping herself together with the hope that this dog would force Beck to take her back. She didn't have the mental bandwidth to process anything else right now. The attendant came back after a few minutes and commented on how well Tori was handling the big dog.

"We'd like to see how Jade handles him, though, since he was so focused on you. Would you mind stepping out here?" she asked Tori. Concerned, Tori looked over at Jade who caught her eyes and shrugged in a bored manner. Tori stood up and left the room, shutting the door behind her. The attendant smiled at Tori as she walked into the hall. "You like him?" she asked. Tori nodded in response.

"I've never had a dog before, and while he looks pretty mean, he's actually pretty sweet," Tori explained. Tori turned around and watched Jade through the window. She was finally coming out of her shell and engaging with the rottweiler, and Tori couldn't hold back a small smile. "Kind of like someone else I know," she thought to herself.

The attendant nodded, observing Tori and Jade's behaviors. "So, why were you looking to buy him?" she asked. Tori laughed nervously and nodded towards Jade.

"Well, let's just say Jade screwed up pretty badly in her relationship. And, after speaking with her, we decided a dog would be a good way to start first step towards making amends," Tori carefully explained. She didn't want to be too specific because she wasn't sure what Jade would want shared with others. The attendant smiled at Tori's answer.

"Aw, that's adorable. You going to forgive her, then?" she asked. Tori blinked, the attendant's insinuation going over her head.

"Huh?" Tori flatly returned. The attendant looked back at Jade, who was still calmly petting the dog's ears, and then back at Tori.

"If you guys get the dog, are you going to forgive your girlfriend?" she clarified. Tori's eyes blasted open wide and her brain stopped working.

"Uh..." her mouth forced out without her permission. The attendant had returned her attention to Jade by this point and was speaking with Tori, back turned.

"You know, his adoption fee is normally eight hundred dollars. But a teenage couple? I doubt you could afford it, and you two seem nice enough. He's really quite taken with the both of you. I'm going to recommend we let you take him for two fifty," she explained. Tori had finally found her voice and was preparing to explain that Jade and her weren't even friends, let alone together, but that last line from the attendant shut her up. Eight hundred dollars?! She was right – there was no way either of them could afford that. Two hundred and fifty dollars was probably pushing it, as is. Tori realized she hadn't said anything in awhile.

"W-wow, thanks a ton! That's really generous of you!" Tori exclaimed, too enthusiastically. "How about actually acting like you know what you're doing, Tori?" she mentally chastised herself. This was just improv – albeit it in real life with real life consequences. Tori cleared her throat. "Can I go back in now? I'd like to share the good news with my g-girlfriend," she said, tripping over the unfamiliar word. The attendant smiled and nodded.

"Sure. I need to gather his paperwork, anyway. We'll be back in a little bit to get him and guide you through the rest of the process," she said before leaving. Tori entered the room again and closed the door behind her. As she turned back around, she caught Jade's bored expression.

"Well?" she asked. Tori understood Jade's question without further clarification. Tori nodded.

"They're going to let us buy him. Two hundred and fifty dollars," she explained. Jade winced. That was a lot of money for her, but anything was worth getting Beck back. Tori was preparing to warn Jade that the shelter thought they were a couple and the dog was coming home with them, but she hesitated. Jade was already in a fragile state. She might not be able to keep up the ruse if she knew about it right now. Tori swallowed the secret back down. No, better for her to guide them through this without Jade knowing.

The rest of the adoption process took almost two hours, and it was very dark outside by the time they left the shelter, dog in tow. Tori sat in the back of the car with the dog, absent-mindfully petting it. She had almost blown their cover, but thankfully the ordeal had gone on without the shelter thinking anything other than Jade and Tori being a couple adopting a dog. They even signed both of their names on the paperwork. Tori sighed. Why was she doing all this again?

Jade drove them back to Beck's home and parked in the driveway. As they left the car, Tori held the dog's leash and followed Jade's lead as they sneaked towards Beck's RV. On their approach to the RV, the dog barked one time and they both shushed him simultaneously in panic. Once they reached the door, Jade looked back at Tori.

"Wait one sec," she whispered before she disappeared into the RV. Tori watched Jade enter and bit back her distracting thoughts. The adrenaline from sneaking around Beck's place uninvited was confusing her; she didn't usually sneak around like this. Jade returned quickly and spoke in hurried, hushed tones.

"Beck's asleep. Give me the dog," she commanded. Tori nodded in agreement. Tori leaned forward to check on the dog. The poor thing had a small amount of snot running from its snout. Tori decided Beck would like a dog without a runny nose better, so she brought a tissue to his nose. Jade addressed Tori condescendingly.

"Dog's don't know how to blow their nose," she explained like she was talking to a kindergartner. Tori was a nice girl, but sometimes she sounded as vapid as Cat. As the dog actually used the tissue correctly, Tori smiled smugly up at Jade and Jade's grin disappeared. Or maybe Tori was pretty smart. Jade looked away, irritated that she complimented Tori twice.

"Okay, gimme the dog," Jade repeated as she reached down and grabbed the dog's collar. Tori kept a hold of the leash, just to make sure the dog stayed safe. Jade opened the RV door and guided the dog forward, verbally encouraging him to go get Beck. As the dog entered the RV, it pulled hard and Tori was yanked into Jade. Jade hardly noticed Tori's full body contact, and Tori quickly put distance between them as Jade shut the door. Jade turned around and sighed in content.

"Okay, if this makes Beck like me again, I'm gonna owe you big time," she told Tori, her voice slightly shaky. Jade hated to admit it, but she had needed Tori's help, and Tori had come through. Even if Jade didn't want to call Tori her friend, she was the closest thing to a friend Jade had. Tori shook her head.

"You already owe me big time," Tori clarified, her mouth flat. Jade grinned and tilted her head, acknowledging Tori had a point. She liked hearing a little sass out of the singer – it reminded Jade that a fire burned beneath her surface. A fire that might be blinding, may even threaten to overtake her, but that fire could encourage the growth of her own flame. Jade was broken out of her thoughts by loud, angry barks and screaming from inside the RV. Jade and Tori both looked on in panic as the RV started shaking. A light flipped on and a man continued screaming, paralyzing the two girls from any meaningful action other than screaming in sympathetic panic.

The next thirty minutes were a blur to the two girls. Beck came out of his home after hearing the commotion, only to find Tori and Jade outside his RV and a giant dog attacking his Dad inside the RV. Beck tried to go inside the vehicle, but after seeing how large of a dog they had unleashed, he couldn't directly interfere. After recovering from his initial panic, Beck grabbed Tori's phone and called emergency services. An ambulance and animal control truck showed up within minutes. They captured the rottweiler, and the EMTs were able to bandage Beck's father and load him onto a gurney. Thankfully, the wounds were only superficial, but they still required treatment.

As Beck told his father he'd meet him at the hospital, Jade latched onto his arm, desperate to apologize. She felt awful. She was trying to do something nice, and as usual, she screwed it up – the entire situation was now worse than it was before. The ambulance left and Beck pulled away from Jade without a word. He glanced back at her very briefly as he walked back towards his house, rubbing his face in stress. Jade felt anxiety pull her down once again, and she looked at Tori before turning around to pursue Beck. It was the most they had been together in the last two days and she couldn't lose that again.

"Tori told me to get you a dog," she blurted out, panic infecting her tone. Tori frowned and whipped around to stare at Jade.

"Dude!" she exclaimed. She had bent over backwards, and Jade was seriously going to make her the bad guy? Beck stared at Jade, waiting. This was such a messed up situation, but would Jade finally learn her lesson?

Jade relented. "O-Okay, it was kind of my idea, but I-I didn't think the dog would bug out like that. I just wanted you to have a dog because I know you've talked about getting one ever since I met you and I thought maybe-" Jade was forced to stop her emotional outpouring by Beck's lips closing on her own. It wasn't quite an apology, but it was close to what Beck wanted and he was out of energy to pretend he didn't miss Jade. It gave Beck hope that he could keep pushing Jade out of her comfort zone; it was a step in the right direction.

Jade froze as Beck kissed her and, realizing that he wanted her back, she leaned closer into him, soaking him in. God, she missed him these last two days. She didn't think she could miss anyone this much. It scared her, but for now she distanced herself from the insecurity and just relaxed into his embrace.

Tori smiled as she watched the two literally kiss and make up. She still hated being involved in couple's drama, but this time it appeared she actually managed to help out. She was glad to see Jade happy. As Beck pulled back, Jade smiled at him.

"You love me again," she plainly stated. Beck smiled back.

"Who said I stopped?" he honestly replied. Jade still had a way to go with understanding his emotions, but it was a start.

The scene was so hopelessly romantic, Tori couldn't stop herself from exclaiming a long sigh of affection. Tori realized her mistake when both Beck and Jade turned towards her; Jade looked at Tori in disbelief. Tori turned away, commenting to herself. "I ruined the moment," she vocalized, embarrassed. Jade took a breath and relaxed, something she would have never done for anyone other than Tori.

"It's cool," she said, giving Tori a pass on the outburst. "And I really do owe you," she affirmed while smiling at the girl. Tori smiled back at Jade. She had done it. She had actually turned Jade into her friend. Tori nodded in affirmation and Jade smiled, turning around and returning to kissing Beck. Tori let the moment go for a little while before awkwardly interjecting once again.

"Hey, um. It's getting kind of late, so I wondering if maybe you could drive me home," she said, wincing even as she said it. Jade whipped her head back, but looked down at the ground as she addressed Tori. "It's not that far a walk," she quietly, but firmly, replied before looking Tori in the eye. Tori looked aghast as Jade returned to her make-out session. Maybe celebrating Jade as a friend was a little premature. Tori took a few steps away from the newly rejoined couple before calling back at them. "Try not to swallow each other!" she shouted in irritation before she headed towards home, the state of Beck's father temporarily forgotten among the three teenagers.

After an hour of making up for lost time, Beck finally left to visit his Dad and make sure he was okay. Jade still felt bad, but visiting the hospital would be too awkward right now. She decided to just go home – it was late evening, and she was emotionally exhausted from the last two days.

That night, Jade would dream of a falling star, its descent slowing as it approached its nearest neighbor. Closer now, it was apparent the second star was almost exactly the same size as the first. And only as the distance closed did it become clear the falling star was exerting as much force on its neighbor as it felt in return. An image of twin stars, dancing around each other in mutual orbit, would pass out of Jade's memory just before she woke up the next morning.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I'm planning much longer chapters moving forward. Previously, I've been able to do about one update per week, but moving forward it'll take a little more time. I'll post each new chapter once I'm sure it meets my expectations.**

* * *

Jade was distracted. Even though today started the final week of rehearsal before the opening night of _Uptown Downtown_, she could not bring herself to watch the scene currently on stage. Rather, Jade **wanted** to watch the scene and was resisting for a reason she couldn't put into words. Instead, she was typing worthlessly into her phone behind her copy of the playbill, paying hardly any attention as she browsed TheSlap.

"Because, you're beautiful," came Robbie's poorly executed line. In a moment of weakness, Jade glanced up from her phone at her rival and confidante, Tori Vega. Tori was frowning at Robbie, but even then she _was_ beautiful. She looked nice in her black, strappy ruffled top, and the chunky jewelry was a new addition to Tori's style that Jade appreciated, as well. Jade didn't hear Robbie's continued line, having already tuned his terrible acting out, and she turned her attention back to her phone, irritated with herself.

Jade shouldn't need to force herself to resist watching the play rehearsal. She should be furious, rather than mildly irritated, with Tori for getting the lead role. But she wasn't furious, and even that was Tori's fault. Tori had helped Jade when she needed her most, and Jade owed Tori a big favor as a result. Jade had decided the only fair way to repair her debt was to silently, secretly allow the girl to be closer to her; to allow her to be what most normal people would call a friend. Even in her own mind, Jade refused to use that word. The implications were dangerous and terrifying.

"I can wait. For you, I would wait a thousand years," came Beck's line. Jade looked up from her phone once again. She was allowed to enjoy watching Beck perform.

"But that's so many!" Tori replied in surprise. Jade rolled her eyes. Tori was delivering the lines well, but it was such a corny script. Maybe it was for the best that Jade hadn't gotten the female lead; she'd rather swallow razor blades than convincingly spout the ditzy, love-struck dialogue. Jade's gaze alternated between her phone and the stage as the scene continued.

"You're beautiful because I love you," came Beck's final line of the scene, shortly followed by unscripted swirling lights and disco music. Jade was actually thankful for Sinjin's screw-up as it gave her an outlet for her pent up anxious energy.

After the events of last week, Jade worried how Tori would behave around her in public. Jade had revealed more about herself to the singer than she anticipated and, while the situation ended with her and Beck back together, she was concerned that Tori would see Jade in a new light and share that with everyone at school. Thus leading to Jade's building anxiety since Sunday evening.

To her surprise, relief and irritation, Tori didn't act like anything was different between them. She didn't bounce up to her like Cat, didn't gossip or share any inane, stupid rumors that "girl friends" did with each other. In fact, the only acknowledgment Jade received from Tori all day was before the first bell when Tori smiled and offered a small wave at her and Beck when they passed in the hall. It was exactly what Jade wanted, but then why was she so irritated by the half-Latina's behavior?

As the director, Marty, called for a break, Jade noticed a new alert on her phone. Her eyes opened wide as she read the e-mail. Sophia Michelle was going to be in town and was attending their opening night performance. Even with the supporting role Jade was playing, she knew this was a massive opportunity. Sophia Michelle was a famous Broadway playwright; any lasting positive impression could pay off in spades after graduating school – maybe even before. Jade excitedly shared the news with the class, a grin plastering itself on her face as Marty fled in panic. An opportunity to elevate her stardom while causing legitimate distress in a teacher? There was no sweeter feeling.

"Who's Sophia Michelle?" Tori asked Jade, genuinely curious and painfully ignorant. Jade's grin fell so fast her lips threatened to break the sound barrier. Jade almost wanted to shout at Tori just like she had shouted at Sinjin moments prior, all while insulting her intelligence and scarring her psyche. And, if the singer had been anyone else, that's exactly what Jade would have done. But, she wasn't anyone else – she was Tori.

Jade leaned her head back in a muffled groan. "Oh, no, no, no," she lamented and reached out for Beck. Jade gently guided Beck with her as she collapsed into a chair with a frown. Sometimes life was cruel in ways that Jade could only ironically appreciate. Why did it have to be cruel to her, though?

Tori was confused. Jade seemed upset that she didn't know who this "Sophia Michelle" lady was, but the girl's behavior was strange, even for her. Typically Jade would get angry. This sullen, only barely condescending moaning was a new reaction. While Tori found it better than being yelled at, she wanted to understand what she had done to cause Jade such distress.

"What?" she once again asked Jade earnestly. Jade covered her face with her phone and closed her eyes.

"She gets to be the lead, and she doesn't even know who Sophia Michelle is?" Jade announced to no one in particular. She looked around the room as she spoke, but settled on staring at Tori. When Tori guessed, incorrectly, who Sophia Michelle was and why she was important, Jade looked back at her phone to pull her attention away from the amateur performer. Jade would normally respond with rude comments, but again, it was Tori. When Tori finally realized that Sophia Michelle wrote _Uptown Downtown_, Jade couldn't help mocking her realization under her breath. Tori slightly frowned at Jade.

Jade had been nice to Tori, in Jade terms, so far today. She hadn't even insulted Tori once. Tori thought about how Jade must be feeling - Jade was very talented and worked hard to prepare for her assignments. That probably meant Jade expected that work to pay off by earning leading roles in school performances, Tori reasoned. And now Tori was starring in this play, and she didn't even really know who wrote the script. Come to think of it, Tori accidentally auditioned for the part; she hadn't really prepared at all.

Yeah, she could see where that would sting to someone as dedicated as Jade. And apologizing to the actress wouldn't work; Tori would just have to further commit herself and learn everything possible when auditioning for these roles in the future. And, of course, knock out this particular performance later this week so that Jade would see Tori was taking it as seriously as Jade would herself.

The bell announced the end of class and rehearsal for the day, but Tori was already mentally planning her evening and week. She'd practice all her lines, review all her songs every day after school until the opening performance on Friday evening. She was going to nail this role. But first, she needed to nail lunch – she was starving. The rest of her friends had already left for the cafe, but Tori knew Cat was just backstage finishing up her make-up class. Cat tended to lose herself when left to her own devices, so Tori popped into the backstage area to find the ditzy girl.

Tori didn't expect to find her finishing up, and apparently failing, her make-up assignment. She was supposed to create a hideous monster and instead had turned her model's face into a fuzzy, cute critter. Tori had never seen the redhead so serious, but also Tori was distracted by her stomach gnawing on itself. Thanks to another scheme by her sister, Tori was rushed out of the house early before she could find anything to eat. And they still barely arrived at school on time.

"That's the third model that's quit on me. I'm going to get an F – in make-up!" Cat lamented. Tori looked away, distancing herself from the awkward scene.

"Aw, that bites. Let's go get an A in lunch," she suggested callously. She reached out to grab Cat's hand and was pulled to a surprise halt when Cat slammed the brakes.

"Wait," Cat said, her eyes opening widely. Tori knew danger signs when she saw them, and the signs around Cat glowed crimson.

"No," she retorted, drawing it out to interrupt the girl. "I am not going to be your monster make-up model!" she finished Cat's unspoken thought, pointing her finger up in defiance. Cat stomped stubbornly.

"But if I don't transform someone's face into a hideous monster by Monday, I'm going to fail this class," she repeated with wide, sad eyes; Cat hoped Tori would pity her and help. Tori made a point to avoid looking at Cat as she held up both hands.

"And if I don't cram a turkey sandwich down my throat, I'm going to fail 'not starving to death'!" Tori practically shouted back at Cat before turning quickly on the spot and stepping towards the door. Cat desperately leaned forward and grabbed Tori's arm to slow her down.

"Tori!" Cat drew out, desperately pleading. Tori felt her temper flare.

"Cat!" Tori drew out similarly, mocking her. They started arguing back and forth, but Tori couldn't keep her temper for long and eventually caved. "Fine, I'll do it!" she said unhappily with a grimace. Cat cheered until Tori flatly added, "But you're buying my lunch." Cat whined, but Tori was done with this conversation. She grabbed Cat's wrist and spun her around, practically dragging her through the door and to the Asphalt Cafe. Tori knew Cat would have run if given the chance, and focusing on her destination and the promise of food helped her ignore how familiar this entire situation felt.

Not even a week ago, Jade had grabbed Tori's wrist and dragged her to a destination for Jade's benefit. Tori shook her head; this was different. She had, begrudgingly, agreed to help Cat before pulling her along. She just hoped this wouldn't take too long – she needed to focus on the play!

* * *

Friday morning brought the anxiety and excitement typical of the last school day of the week coupled with the opening night of a new performance. All the students that were part of the production were particularly on edge with exception of one – Jade wasn't anxious about the play in the least. Had she been introspective about that fact, Jade would attribute her comfort to multiple sources; she had over-prepared for her supporting role, she reveled in the general discomfort of the student body and she was looking forward to seeing Tori.

Specifically, she was looking forward to seeing what horror Cat had managed to inflict upon Tori. Cat acted brainless, but she was usually fairly safe to be around. Except when Jade saw Tori post earlier in the week about monster make-up, she couldn't help but wonder if Cat would screw up somehow. Clearly she had, judging by Tori's post on TheSlap last night. "I just made 2 little girls scream and run away with the cookies. Mood: Bumed" read the post, and Jade grinned thinking back to it. If Tori had meant to scare the children, as Jade might have, she wouldn't have been upset. Which means **something** had gone wrong. Jade knew Tori well enough by this point to know the singer would air her grievances without provocation – it was just a matter of being around her.

To Jade's minor disappointment and irritation, Tori wasn't in the hallway before first period. And she didn't see the girl between classes or at lunch. Jade hated waiting, but if Tori was skipping classes and lunch it must be **really** bad. Realizing Tori was running out of time before final rehearsal and the opening performance tonight, Jade grinned to herself. She was bound to run into the singer eventually.

The payoff exceeded Jade's wildest dreams. She had just entered the Black Box theater and saw Tori on stage speaking with Marty; the girl's body language was rigid and Marty's face was crestfallen. Tori was too distracted to notice Jade's entrance, which was just as well because Jade's face was starting to hurt from how hard she was silently laughing at the poor girl. There's no way Tori would have kept the disgusting zombie make-up all over her face intentionally, which meant Cat must have used some type of super glue instead. Tori would freak out and ruin the play if she thought Jade was going to give her a hard time, so she kept her distance until she was confident she could approach Tori without grinning like a jackass.

Tori was furious. She should never have agreed to help Cat; she knew the redhead was ditzy, but to use Grizzly Glue on her face?! She had suffered through school all day in this horrible mask, and now that she was practicing on stage the latex was becoming incredibly uncomfortable under the searing lights. Her skin practically hurt from how suffocated it felt. She was going to break-out for sure after this, she just knew it.

Luckily, all her practice earlier in the week had paid off in spades because she was somehow able to fall into character and hit every line and song during the final rehearsal. If not for the stupid make-up, she'd actually be incredibly excited about her first play at Hollywood Arts! Instead she was anxiously waiting for Trina and Cat to show up any minute with the solvent to help remove the make-up so she could focus in earnest. They should be on their way back to the school, but Tori began having second thoughts when Marty didn't seem convinced that they would arrive in time. Barely staving off panic, Tori called Trina's phone. Each ring felt like an eternity. Finally, she heard a giddy voice that could only be Cat.

"Where are you guys?" Tori asked, concerned. Off-stage, Jade overheard the panic in Tori's voice and stopped in her tracks. She turned to Beck.

"Babe, water?" she requested flatly. Beck shrugged and walked off, leaving Jade alone to listen to Tori's conversation. There was a pause as Tori allowed the person to respond. Tori felt a vein throb in her forehead.

"The fact-you're not even there yet? The show starts in, like, two hours!" Tori cried back, her voice pitching up an octave in distress. A second later and Jade heard Tori lose her patience and snap.

"Listen. To me," Tori started firmly. Jade's eyebrows raised; if she wasn't listening before, she certainly would be now. The girl sounded absolutely _pissed_, and Jade would tell herself later she didn't love hearing Tori sound that mad. "If you two morons aren't back here before the play starts, and I have to go on stage looking like a zombie, I'm going to punch both your buggies, do you-" Jade frowned and peaked over at the stage. Tori had stopped because the nervous director had given her a judgmental, almost fearful look.

Jade took a deep breath, only now realizing she had been holding her breath. What a shame – it was just getting good. Luckily, Beck had returned with a bottle of water and Jade gladly took it from him. They needed to head backstage and dress. The opening performance started in less than two hours, after all.

Tori was low-key freaking out as she paced the stage behind the closed curtain. Any moment, _Uptown Downtown_ was going to start and she still looked like a zombie! Where were they?! What was taking them so long?! Didn't they know how **dead** they were when they finally-

Jade watched Tori pace restlessly up and down the stage. Unsurprisingly, zombie make-up was still affixed to her face, and Cat and Trina were nowhere to be seen. Jade wasn't thrilled about the fact that Tori's mistake trusting Cat would ruin the play, but this would be good for the overly optimistic girl. She needed to learn that not everyone was deserving of trust. Just like Jade had to learn when she was little.

"Tori!" came a whisper-yell from Marty as he ran onto the stage in a panic. Tori whipped around to address him and calm him down. Jade registered, too late, she had given Tori a more-than-casual once over as the girl turned. Tori didn't usually wear skirts that revealed her legs. The outfit was a little too formal and retro, but she looked nice.

"We're on in two minutes and you still look disgusting!" Marty lamented.

Still, it would be for the best if Jade ensured Tori learned a lesson. A little teasing would help. It took all her effort to keep her tone and expression flat.

"I can play the lead," she offered to Marty over Tori's shoulder. Tori stared at Jade, but her expression was unreadable through the undead flesh. Marty sighed.

"No, we don't have anyone else to play your part," he explained in exasperation. Jade frowned. Seriously? She was trying to prove a point here, and she couldn't have stopped the verbal assault even if she wanted to.

"We're indoors, lose the scarf," she said scathingly before turning and stomping off stage.

At Marty's command to "do something", Tori stomped, frustrated, to the other side of the stage and called Cat and Trina again. As she questioned them fiercely, the pit in her stomach grew larger and larger. Then she heard sirens and Trina suggested they were an hour away. Tori hung up the phone and desperately wished she was the type of person to use all the curse words. A techie nearby called out the sixty second warning. Tori closed her eyes and focused.

This was her first play. Trina and Cat were not going to be here, and she was going to have to perform in the zombie mask. But on stage, she wasn't Tori - she was Penny. And maybe Penny didn't care that she was covered in rotting flesh. And if Penny didn't care, then maybe the audience wouldn't care. Jade hadn't cared.

Tori's eyes popped open. She wasn't sure where that last thought came from, but she felt the panic edge away. With focus, she could do this. She had just done it, now she just needed to do it with an audience.

Jade was impressed. She was waiting for her queue just off stage, as she had a small part in the final dance scene which was just about to start. Tori had fallen into her role completely; she acted like her face wasn't covered in bleeding, putrid gray latex and paint, and the audience had bought it up. Jade couldn't resist the small smile that pulled at her lips. She wondered if everyone else was so blinded by Tori's radiance that they couldn't see the churning plasma that lay beneath her corona. How easy was it for all of them to think Tori's performance was effortless? Jade alone saw the pure force of will it took to keep that energy-releasing reaction controlled and sustained, and she felt a dangerous kinship.

"Suddenly, my choice is clear..." rang Tori's voice, crystal clear through the speakers and the mask. Jade's eyes opened wide and something seized in her gut. It had been almost two months since the Big Showcase; two months since she heard Tori sing, and only now did she realize how much she had _missed_ it. It should be practically illegal the girl was allowed to speak rather than sing. Jade couldn't even pretend to not stare raptly at Tori as she serenaded the crowd and the stage alike. She faintly heard Beck's harmonization with Tori, but that's all it was – a background instrument to Tori's main event.

The bass line broke Jade of her stupor, and she mentally centered herself. She would have missed her queue to move onto stage if not for the brief pause. Hearing Robbie's shout was her mark, and she sauntered onto the stage with the other back-up dancers. She didn't expect Tori's grinning form to walk towards her, one finger outstretched and curling seductively towards herself, as if beckoning Jade closer. That wasn't part of the script, but Jade just grinned as she fell into step behind Tori, singing backup over her shoulder. She didn't know if her grin was acting or not, but on stage Jade was happy – and it was only fair that she was allowed to be genuinely happy sometimes.

The song continued and Jade left the stage, as scripted. The remaining dancers entered the final breakdown, but Tori's attention was pulled from the dance routine by Beck pointing offstage. It was Cat! And Trina! With the solvent! After non-verbally confirming with Andre that he could stretch the song, Tori awkwardly danced off stage. Clear of the curtain, she practically ran to the nearest chair and plopped into it, sliding away slightly.

Jade realized within seconds the song was lasting longer than it should. She frowned and looked behind the curtains, across the background to the other side of the stage. Ah, that explained it. Talentless and Brainless had finally arrived to fix Tori's face.

"We brought you Freezy Queen!" Cat gleefully announced while holding up a big bowl of ice cream. Tori stared daggers at the oblivious redhead. A fury that felt foreign forced Tori, while still staring Cat in the eye, to smack the ice cream up and out of her hands as mean-spirited as she could.

"Just get this MUCK OFF MY FACE!" Jade heard Tori shout at the pair. Jade's eyebrows raised for the second time that night.

Trina actually looked a little afraid of Tori now. Along with Cat, she struggled to quickly apply the solvent and brush the latex away from Tori's skin. After the longest sixty seconds of Tori's life, she dove past both of them without a word and lined up at the back of the stage to reenter the scene and finish the play.

* * *

After curtain call, Trina and Cat both ran up to Tori and Jade to excitedly gush about how great the end of the performance had gone. Tori wanted to remain furious, but she was so relieved to be out of the zombie mask that she couldn't help but smile. Even Jade was grinning, and Tori couldn't think of a time when she had felt more accomplished.

Resisting emotional whiplash, she felt her nerves seize when Sophia Michelle approached them. She walked right between Tori and Jade, but that anxiety quickly transformed into relief. Sophia Michelle thought the zombie mask was intentional – something about social commentary and beauty within. Tori rolled with it as well as she could, but she was just glad that she hadn't ruined the performance after all.

Jade was wrestling with mixed emotions. She was excited to speak with a famous playwright, but disappointed she was such a sucker for assigning intent to such a big mistake. Still, Tori had played it well – it was pretty believable. When Robbie asked about his performance and Sophia Michelle stated she was late for her flight, Jade found an opening to allow one emotion in particular to rise to the top. Desire for mischief.

"We heard you were going to be in L.A. all week," Jade stated, convincingly sounding confused.

"Right. Well, bye," the playwright responded before quickly walking away. Jade grinned to herself. She could at least find consistency in emotionally scarring Robbie.

Even though it was Friday night, none of the students stuck around much longer. They all had to be back in the theater tomorrow morning to prepare for the afternoon performance and the final show Sunday morning. Trina was ready to go home, so Tori wasn't given a choice other than to leave first. She was also coming down from the adrenaline high and wasn't prepared for how tired she felt. As the Vega sisters left the theater, Tori cheerfully waved a goodbye back to Beck and Jade. Beck raised a hand in a lazy return salute, while Jade caught Tori's eye but offered little more than the ghost of a smile in return.

The weekend performances went just as well, which helped Tori grow her comfort and confidence in front of a crowd. And every time the final song started, Jade couldn't help but stare at Tori in wonder. However, she noticed it was only the performance Friday night that Tori had beckoned her forward on stage, her true expression and feelings hidden behind the zombie mask. Jade didn't understand why she wished to see her do it again, so she buried the feeling deep down, thankful that she wouldn't have to think about it after their final performance Sunday morning.

* * *

With the weekend dedicated to _Uptown Downtown_, Tori wasn't left with much time for anything other than catching up on homework for her other classes. She settled back into the new normal that was life at Hollywood Arts by Tuesday afternoon, gathered for lunch in the Asphalt Cafe with Andre, Beck and Jade. A few other students had dropped by the table to congratulate all of them on how well the show went. Tori recognized the boy, Trevor, from one of their shared classes, and she smiled as they fell into a quick, easy conversation. Even Jade was smiling, which Tori was happy to see; she took it to mean that Jade was proud of the overall performance, even if she didn't get to play the lead actress.

Trevor and his friend left the table and the group returned to their lunches. Jade's attention was the first to be pulled away from her salad as a weird, boxy machine was placed in front of her. She looked up, not at all surprised to see Cat smiling expectantly at them all. Jade dropped her eyes back to the machine, and she waited for Tori to nicely ask Cat all about her most recent odd behavior.

Jade found it very interesting that Tori glanced up at Cat and wordlessly returned to her food. Had Tori actually learned her lesson from last week? It's exactly what Jade wanted to do, so she followed suite and silently began eating again.

"Don't you guys want to know what that is?!" Cat whined, disbelieving their apparent disinterest. Jade couldn't, and didn't really want to, prevent the sarcastic outburst that forced itself from her mouth.

"Is it a transporter from the future that can beam you to another table?" Jade asked, sounding almost polite. "Because if it is, what button do I push?" she continued, her mouth becoming a flat line as her tone and glare at the redhead grew severe. Jade could usually tolerate Cat, but when the girl forced attention to herself she could be downright insufferable. Cat frowned.

"That's so hurtful!" she pouted, staring sadly at Jade. Tori carefully measured Cat's reaction. Cat tended to cry easily, and once the fragile girl was wounded it would take a lot of time and effort to patch her up. Tori frowned and turned her attention to Jade.

"You know, you don't always have to be mean to everyone," she said matter-of-factly. Jade returned Tori's stare, her facial features unreadable. Maybe Tori hadn't learned anything, after all.

"See?" Cat piled on. "Tori's interested in my device," she taunted. Tori could swear she saw an actual red flag flap into view, but it was just Cat's hair.

"I'm really not," Tori explained with a grimace at Cat. Jade grinned and returned to her food, but her enjoyment was cut short by Andre's good nature prompting Cat to explain the box in front of them. Jade sighed and pursed her lips; Tori looked irritated, as well, but she was putting on a polite face.

Jade didn't have time to regret her inaction as fake snow began pouring out of the device and all over her hair, her food and the table. She batted away at it briefly, but realized that it wasn't stopping and no one was helping. She reached forward slowly, blindly and fumbled around until she found the off switch. Even though it had only been a few seconds, everything was coated in the fake powder. Jade brushed the annoying white flakes off her jacket and out of her hair, while Tori and Beck lamented it coating their food. Jade swore those two both thought with their stomachs, and she noticed that Beck seemed particularly agitated.

"Whatever you do, don't eat it!" came Cat's uncharacteristically coherent answer. Jade immediately stopped cleaning her hair and stared at Cat.

"Why?" she asked carefully, drawing out the word. When Cat shared that it was toxic to eat, it was practically a race for who could push their food forward faster. Jade wanted to scream.

"So, what made you buy a machine that poisons peoples lunches?" Jade heard Tori ask Cat, sarcasm barely masking the underlying disgust and irritation. Jade held back her shout. Tori needed to learn; maybe letting her handle Cat would help Tori realize that Jade _wasn't_ mean to everyone – just people who deserved it. Like everyone other than Beck. Or Tori. Sometimes.

Jade's attention was pulled back to the table by a shouting Robbie. Jade made an effort to keep her face emotionless. She didn't like Robbie or Rex, and she usually made it very well known. It suited her just fine the boy was terrified of her. As he lamented about the 'snow', she scooped up a spoonful.

"It's not real snow," Beck explained plainly. Jade held up the spoon.

"But you can eat it," she said sweetly without a hint of malice. Jade was almost disappointed that neither Beck nor Tori said anything. Then again, both looked very unhappy that Robbie was sitting next to them. Jade saw that Tori looked particularly upset, which was again interesting information. Tori acted like she got along with everyone, but her reaction to Cat and Robbie seemed like she tolerated them almost the same as Jade.

As Robbie continued to drone on about his blog being canceled, Jade decided she hadn't gotten the reaction she wanted. "Why?!" she asked, sounding and looking concerned before instantly dropping the act and snapping her fingers. "Oh wait, I don't care," she finished, her tone and expression flat. Tori looked up at the sky, mad with herself. She also didn't really care, but why did Jade have to just blurt it out like that? Part of Tori wished she could just admit that too, but she also hated seeing people upset – especially anyone she regularly spent time with.

"Why?" Tori asked plainly, looking over at Robbie. When Rex interjected to say that Robbie's blog was boring, Robbie sought words of assurance from his friends.

"Do you guys think that my blog on TheSlap is boring?" he asked them all, hopeful for support. None of them knew he had a blog, nor would they have bothered reading it even if they did.

"Hey look, it's that guy over there!" Beck unconvincingly announced. Even Cat caught on, affirming Beck's comment as everyone other than Tori stood up. Jade didn't play into the lie, but she smiled to herself. She was just glad the group decided to leave Robbie's presence, even if Beck lied about it. As they all left, Jade had to twist the knife just a little. After all, Robbie had ruined the remainder of lunch.

"There's no guy," she deadpanned as she walked past him. Robbie looked dejected and Tori winced. It felt like she was always trying to fix things, but she _liked_ helping people. Wasn't that what friends did? Still, it was hard not to follow Jade's lead and leave the boy to his thoughts.

To put her conscious at ease, Tori empathized with Robbie over the cancellation of his blog. Even if she didn't know anything about it, to be told you can't continue a project you enjoy must be painful. When he wasn't freaking out Robbie was more lucid, so Tori suggested he change the content of his blog to focus on the students. When he seemed to take the suggestion to heart, Tori smiled. She felt better about leaving now, so she did. Whether they canceled Robbie's blog or not, at least Tori felt like she had tried to help. She felt better about herself for not just abandoning him.

* * *

Tori frowned in the mirror as she prepared for school. The week had gone by quickly, but yesterday at school she noticed a huge pimple on her chin. Tori thought back to a few choice words she had for Cat about her stupid make-up project. She knew having that muck on her face that long wasn't good. Tori had popped the offending blemish yesterday at school and it was healing, but it was still huge. She took extra care that morning to cover it up without caking it in make-up, which would just make the problem worse. Hopefully no one at school noticed while the splotch healed.

Tori thought she was just letting her anxiety get the best of her when she noticed other students pointing her direction trying, poorly, to hide their laughter. At her locker, Tori's phone buzzed with an update from TheSlap. Andre had sent her a DM with a link to a video from Robbie's blog.

"Uh, chica, you're gonna want to see this," read the short message and Tori frowned. The video was posted the night before. She played it on her phone and watched with increasing horror and frustration as the candid video focused on her popping her pimple yesterday at her locker. Robbie never asked if he could film her! As Tori looked around the hallway, she swore at least half a dozen people were turning their gaze away from her. Rather than embarrassment, her face burned with barely contained fury.

Part of Tori was urging calm. She didn't particularly like Robbie, but he was upset earlier this week. She **had** suggested he make segments about the students, and that is kind of what he did. But another part of Tori, one that sounded suspiciously like Jade, coldly reminded Tori that Robbie's failure as a writer wasn't her responsibility. She wasn't obligated to suffer degradation and humiliation to enhance his career. And, if the nerdy little punching bag had any guts, he would have told Tori ahead of posting it and asked her permission.

Point: 'Jade'. Tori was going to hunt down the curly haired puppeteer and wring his neck!

Tori searched Sikowitz's class first. Robbie was normally pretty early to class, but he wasn't there yet. As she stomped back to the main hall, she saw him near the entrance doors and walking her way. She stopped dead in her tracks.

"ROBBIE!" she growled loudly, causing the boy to full stop. It was a critical mistake, as Tori had already broken into a full sprint and had closed half the distance before he turned and tried to shuffle away. Tori quickly caught up and spun him around by his backpack to face her.

"H-Heya Tori! How are things?" Robbie asked nervously, pretending to not know exactly why Tori was so upset. Tori glared at Robbie and refused to justify his poor excuse of an act with a response.

"I see you're still rocking that chin zit," Rex commented caustically. Tori's eyes and temper flared. Before she could stop herself, she had one fist raised in the air ready to strike the puppet. She only barely held back, her usual pensive nature resisting the impulse. Rex's threat to sue was emptier than Cat's head, but it reminded Tori that she didn't act this way. She was upset, furious even, but she didn't hit people to solve her problems. She let her arm fall in frustration.

"How could you post that video of me squeezing my pimple?!" she demanded, her eyebrows furrowed. Robbie tried to turn it around by suggesting Tori told him to do stories about people. "I told you to do stories about what's going on in student's lives, not to embarrass and degrade people!" she explained, bypassing his defense. "I mean, seriously, is being popular that important to you?" she asked in disbelief.

Robbie was silent for several seconds and refused to meet Tori's eye. The warning bell to first period rang and Tori looked away briefly. It was obvious Robbie wasn't going to give her an answer.

"Think about your answer carefully, Robbie," she warned firmly before turning away and heading to class. The rest of the day, even if she saw Robbie, she refused the meet his eye or act friendly towards him. He hadn't even apologized to her.

Jade was aware of the embarrassing video, but she refused to watch it. On the one hand, Tori deserved it for encouraging the walking disaster that was Robbie Shapiro. On the other hand, she didn't want to reward him with views on his blog. Despite Hollywood Arts being a very unique school, it was still a school full of teenagers. Something equally gossip-worthy would happen over the weekend and no one would even remember Tori's video.

* * *

By Wednesday afternoon, Jade was proven wrong. Class in the Black Box was wrapping up, and Tori's face drained of its typical bronze color as she checked her phone. Tori swallowed the lump forming in her throat. Without a word to the others, she pulled her laptop out of her bag and used a cart as a makeshift desk. The other students filtered out of the theater, but Jade was curious. She stepped over to stand behind and over Beck, subtly watching Tori browse to TheSlap and open a video. Andre watched the screen behind Tori.

"Oh my God," Tori lamented in a low tone as the video played. Rather than blowing over, Robbie had doubled-down; he replaced his blog with a new video series named _Robarazzi_. Jade cringed as the intro to the video played – his acting was awful at the best of times, but even the name was terrible. As Robbie asked ridiculous questions in the video promo, Jade listened and kept a neutral expression. So far, Robbie was being mostly annoying by channeling the worst behaviors of tabloids and other gossip-rags. She took a sip of coffee as the video droned on.

"Is it splits-ville for Beck and Jade?!" the video Robbie asked in mock concern. Jade turned back to the screen, eyes wide and eyebrows dangerously pointed. If she didn't have a mouth full of coffee she would have screamed. Beck's eyebrows raised a little in surprise and he briefly glanced over his shoulder at Jade's rigid, furious form before looking down and laughing lightly. As the intro to the video ended, Tori leaned forward and jammed her fingers into the keyboard to pause the video.

"He's a dead man!" she announced, standing up and pacing near the stage to calm her nerves. Jade agreed, but her focus was on herself first and foremost. She rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Beck and I aren't splitting up!" she announced, more to calm herself than anyone in their group. She was hoping Beck would verbally agree and stabilize her insecurity. Jade was always freaking out about their relationship; Beck couldn't resist flexing a little of the control he had gained a few weeks ago during their short break up.

"Well," came Beck's reply. Jade's entire body seized up.

"Dude..." she threateningly replied, staring at the back of her boyfriend's head. Beck raised his hands in surrender.

"Kidding!" he quickly amended without looking back at Jade. Tori frowned at the exchange between them. Beck knew Jade worried about their relationship – why would he antagonize her like that? Tori shook her head. There were bigger issues that needed immediate attention.

"Let's go fix this, right now," she announced before grabbing her bag and heading for the door, the others ahead of her. Tori expected they'd have a bigger impact if they all confronted Robbie, so she tried to prompt Cat into joining them. The girl was hopelessly lost in her Sky Store catalog, so Tori abandoned her. As they left the theater, Tori ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

TheSlap was managed out of a student activity room on the other side of school. It didn't take long to travel there and, Tori in the lead, angrily march into the room.

"Hey!" Tori announced herself, looking for and finding Robbie quickly at the head of the room. He was surrounded by cameras and other students. Robbie sounded unusually confident as he took a few steps forward, only retreating when Tori quickly approached his podium.

"Whoa whoa whoa c'mon you guys, we're in the middle of taping my show!" he responded firmly. Tori prepared a few choice words and nervously moved her hair behind her ear, but she was saved from her outburst by Jade's shouting over her shoulder.

"Beck and I are **not** splits-ville!" she shouted, pointing dangerously at Robbie.

"Well," Beck said again in the same deadpan tone. Tori was faster to react than Jade. Frowning, she whipped her head back to glare at Beck. In less than a second, Jade caught up and spun to face Beck.

"Is there something you want to talk about?!" Jade challenged, her voice pitching upwards in concern. Beck laughed – laughed! - at her before reaching out to place a hand on her arm.

"Kidding," he clarified. Jade stared at him, mouth agape. Jade hated being caught off guard, and she hated being confused. Tori found herself unknowingly thinking the same thing as Jade in that moment; why was Beck doing this?!

Tori and Jade were both pulled out of their distraction by Robbie celebrating and spinning the group's arrival during his show. He made sure the camera crew was capturing the footage.

"Robbie!" Tori shouted, grabbing his attention once again. "You're not going to have any friends left if you keep exploiting us for your dumb blog!" Tori was feeling frustrated and used, and she was hoping that appealing to Robbie's desire to feel part of their group would help him understand why his actions were harmful. Jade stared, arms crossed, and let Tori try her way first. She was only distracted a little by a foreign feeling in her stomach; the same feeling as when Tori was screaming at Cat and Trina over the phone last week.

Tori's hope was dashed when Robbie turned around without addressing her and wrote on his board "Tori: Freaking out". She stared in disbelief at him and the board, and even Jade could tell Robbie had crossed a line.

"Is he serious?" Tori asked dangerously to no one in particular before moving forward, her smile not reaching her eyes. She advanced on Robbie and the entire room broke into a chaotic mess of argument. Tori couldn't even remember what she told him, but after a minute of deafening noise Tori couldn't take it any more.

"STOP!" she shouted as loud as she could and the room immediately settled down. Even Jade snapped quiet and, with a huff, turned around to stare at Robbie. "This is your last chance," Tori forced herself to calmly say. "Are you going to stop this _Robarazzi_ thing, or not?!" she almost shouted at him as she crossed her arms. Robbie didn't immediately reply.

It was Jade's turn to lose her patience. "Wrong answer," she firmly stated, her stance identical to Tori's. "You stop this, or I stop you!" And with that threat announced, Jade turned on the spot and walked out of the room. She knew Beck would be close behind and, as expected, he was. Tori looked over her shoulder at Jade's retreating form and her expression softened slightly. She cast a mean-spirited glare on more time at Robbie before turning around and leaving the room with Andre close behind. Last time, Tori's question about popularity hadn't hit home. She could only hope between her threat of losing his friends and Jade's threat of losing his bodily functions, Robbie would listen to reason and stop spreading rumors about them.

* * *

Tori was allowed only a day of ignorant bliss before evidence of her failure smacked her in the face. The following evening, she was on her laptop at home and browsing updates on TheSlap when a new video notice popped up. A new _Robarazzi_ video was just posted. Oh no.

The video showed a highly edited version of the events yesterday, making it look like Andre, Beck, Tori and Jade were threatening to attack Robbie and the staff. Robbie's narration played over the video, ending in a worrying hypothetical question.

"Is anyone safe?"

Tori felt her fingernails dig into her arms; any harder, and she would draw blood. Her nose was scrunched up and she was staring daggers at the Robbie on screen, wishing he'd burst into flames. She felt, rather than heard, a dangerous growl in her throat.

Tori hated feeling this way – this sense of fury and betrayal was foreign to her. Jade was much more open and honest about how to handle these emotions and situations. Maybe Tori could speak with her tomorrow and figure out what to do now that Robbie had made his final decision. Even if Robbie didn't want to be friends with them anymore, his stupid show needed to be stopped!


	15. Chapter 15

Tori woke up exhausted. Feeling more like a zombie now than she had looked just two weeks ago, she dragged herself out of bed and waited for Trina to vacate the upstairs bathroom. Normally, she would berate her selfish older sister for hogging their shared bathroom. Normally, she wasn't falling asleep while leaning against the wall, either. Trina's intense wail, a failed attempt to hit a high note far beyond her reach, was only enough to bring Tori back to the world of the living when the bathroom door swung open violently. Trina ignored the younger Vega and strolled past her with misplaced confidence. Tori shuffled past Trina without a word.

A shower and bite of breakfast later, Tori finally felt alert. Trina was busy fawning over herself in the mirror, so Tori checked TheSlap for updates. Her stomach fell.

The _Robarazzi_ video from last night had over a thousand views. By now everyone in the school must have watched it – some several times. Tori groaned in embarrassment and frustration. Her fingers danced across her laptop before she could think to stop herself.

"Dear fellow students: PLEASE STOP LOOKING AT MY PIMPLE!" read her latest update. Tori regretted it the moment she saw it post to her home page. Her regret burned further when, seconds later, a classmate she didn't recognize reacted to her status update with a laughing-face emoticon. The house rattled as the front door slammed shut; it was enough to pull Tori's attention away from her computer, and she quickly snapped the laptop closed.

"Trina, wait!" she called out as she chased after her ride to school.

While that morning at school was difficult for Tori, it was by some small miracle that Jade had not physically, literally exploded. Every class, every hallway, every locker brought more faces. Faces that didn't matter. Faces that existed to fill space like so much unfocused color behind a portrait. Faces that _judged_ her. They didn't even **know** her and, despite being a school for performers, Jade saw their thoughts through their flimsy, amateur masks. Some showed pity, some smugness, most were just irresponsibly curious. The online gossip show had sowed public doubt in the strength of Beck and Jade's relationship. The student body couldn't help but silently inquire; most people don't want a train to crash, but no one averts their gaze during the moment of impact.

None of them, save Cat, were in a pleasant mood by the time lunch rolled around. Any previous thought Tori had to speak with Jade about _Robarazzi_ had long since been forgotten; this morning had drained all her energy. Tori picked nervously at her bagel while constantly glancing around. People had been staring at her all day. Why did she write that stupid post this morning?!

"I am so mad at Robbie," Tori lamented with a sigh of disgust. Unconsciously looking at Jade to seek comfort, she whined, "I feel like everyone is staring at my pimple." Unfortunately, Jade was fresh out of empathy – even for Tori.

"Everyone is," Jade responded flatly, not quite insulting the girl. She just didn't have the energy to coddle her right now. Her flatness earned a glare from the singer and Jade looked away from her, irritation at the student body still trumping her other emotions. Jade stabbed at her food without an appetite.

Andre turned the group's attention to himself. Robbie hadn't spared him either, claiming that Andre had an unhealthy relationship with ketchup. Apparently one kid had gone so far as to call him 'Mr. Ketchup'. Jade grimaced.

"It's all Tori's fault," she explained to the musician. Andre looked confused, but Jade wasn't leveling an accusation just to hurt the half-Latina. Tori mistook Jade's tone for something more judgmental and furrowed her eyebrows in irritation.

"Really?" she challenged. **Now** Jade was irritated with Tori. And Jade **never** backed down from a challenge.

"They were about to kick Robbie _off_ TheSlap," she said firmly without malice. Tori's face fell and she turned away. Jade was right – Robbie was about to lose his blog before-

"**You** were the one who told him to start reporting on our personal lives, and then you gave him _ideas_ by letting him shoot video of you playing with your pimple!" Jade saw by Tori's expression that she had finally gotten her point across. Challenge accepted – challenge won.

After further harassment by students who dropped off an industrial-sized bottle of ketchup for Andre and a flash mob of underclassmen photographers, they were all at their wit's end. Tori took a deep breath.

"I think we just have to show Robbie that we're not going to be his friends until he stops embarrassing everybody," Tori suggested. Andre, Beck and Jade all nodded along in agreement and tried to return to their food. Despite Cat's antics with a juicer - "You're so screwed up," Jade had observed – it finally seemed like they were going to be able to eat lunch in peace.

"'Sup my peeps?" came a grating voice. Tori frowned before making eye contact with Robbie. Jade refused to give him the benefit of her direct attention, settling on a scowl at the skyline. When Robbie decided he had permission to sit next to Jade, she leaned back to glare at him. "How's everyone doing this fine day?" he continued, completely oblivious to the mood at the table.

An offhand comment about the industrial-sized ketchup bottle was all it took for Andre to snap. He snatched Robbie's backpack from his arms and hurled it back towards the mezzanine. While Robbie was distracted, Jade seized the opportunity to open his lunch container and throw its contents all over the concrete floor, a move that earned a tense smile of approval from Tori, before slamming the empty container back down in front of the curly-haired disaster.

"What's wrong with you guys?!" Robbie exclaimed. Tori was livid – Robbie couldn't be this dense.

"Stop embarrassing us on your dumb _Robarazzi_ blog!" she shouted at him, finally uncrossing her arms.

"Seriously, it's not funny anymore!" Jade yelled in agreement. The rest of the group chimed in, all shouting over themselves before Robbie raised his voice over their cacophony.

"You guys embarrass yourselves! I just get it on tape and show the world!" he defended himself poorly. Tori stared at him aghast, mouth fallen open in shock. She couldn't even form words. Andre filled the gap.

"Well, we don't wanna be your friends 'til you stop," he clearly, calmly delivered. Robbie's uncharacteristically smug smile and reply their only reward.

"Fine. See you on the web!" And with a small hop he was gone, leaving an irritated, frustrated silence in his wake. Jade rubbed her neck, hoping to pull some of the stress out by force. Tori sighed, arms crossed once again in self-comfort. The silence would last forever, save a clueless redhead's inability to process reality.

"D'you want me to juice your bagel?" she asked Tori sincerely. Tori groaned.

"I really don't!" she complained. Jade caught Tori's tone; it matched the tone she had taken last week when Cat was playing with her poisonous snow machine. She idly wondered if Tori was still angry with the tiny, ditzy thing. Jade was too upset with the _Robarazzi_ situation to properly enjoy the idea of Tori being mad enough to hold a grudge against Cat of all people.

She sighed as the lunch bell rang. At least it was Friday, which meant that the next time she'd have to deal with this gossip trash would be next week. At least she'd have a weekend relaxing with Beck.

* * *

Jade was going to end up in prison. Her crime? Murder in the First Degree. Victim: Robbie Shapiro.

By the time Jade had gotten home from school and unwound, the Sun had already set. That suited her just fine – Jade preferred evening. But then an alert lit up her phone – a notification that she was just tagged in a new video. Her eyebrows raised as she tapped on the alert, bringing her to the video in question. _Robarazzi_, of course, and before the introduction was over she already felt a growl low in her throat.

"Wait, you got what?!" came Robbie's irritating voice from his grinning, punchable face. The video replaced Robbie with an even more punchable face; that of a freshmen who was trying too hard to look like a typical California surfer.

"I got Beck and Jade in the front of Beck's car, and you gotta see this!" mysteriously alluded Surfer Dude. Jade's eyes joined her eyebrows, as both reached for the heavens. The video began to play and Jade remembered – it happened this past Tuesday! She had forgotten about it, focused as she was on the rumor Robbie was using to push a wedge between her and Beck.

Beck had driven Jade to school that morning, and she was staying late to continue working on an upcoming project – it hadn't been assigned yet, but Jade preferred to prepare. She didn't finish until evening, and Beck was still hoping to reclaim the rest of the night.

"C'mon. Let's just go, it'll be fun" he coaxed. There was a local party starting up soon that held Beck's interest.

"No," she whined. Her voice sounded pathetic to herself. Jade wasn't in the mood to be around a group of people. She usually wasn't.

"Why not?" Beck asked patiently. Jade hated justifying her feelings, but she knew Beck responded better to a softer tone. When they were alone, Jade could afford to be a little less guarded. Besides, if he felt like he was protecting her, Jade knew he'd usually back off.

"C-Cuz I didn't shower this morning, and I had tuna fish for lunch, and I just-" she lamented, only stopping when she saw a shadow behind them. She twisted around, staring in disbelief.

"There's a dude in the back seat!" she shouted in equal parts anger and terror. Jade had never seen the kid before, but he had a video camera and its bright red LED was glowing. "GET OUT OF HERE! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!?" she screamed and the kid quickly retreated from the vehicle. "Yeah, you better run! I'm gonna kill you!" she threatened the echoing sounds of flip flops sprinting across pavement. Beck drove Jade home immediately after that incident. Even though he especially wanted to go to the party now, there was no way he was going to convince Jade. He'd just go by himself.

Jade was seething. Her blood would boil were it not contained safely in her vessels. With that video posted, everyone at Hollywood Arts would be receiving a new video notification. It would be on the home page all weekend. People were going to hear a part of Jade never meant for anyone else. It was a massive betrayal of trust, not that she extended any special conditions to Robbie, and it dug at old scars she thought had long since stitched themselves shut. Her eyes burned. She didn't think she had sounded that whiny in the moment, but hearing it played back – ugh! She sounded like Tori!

_**Tori**_. Jade's mind fixated like a bull seeing red. This would never have happened if she hadn't encouraged Robbie. She wouldn't be fighting off further advances from girls who already fawned over Beck who now thought Jade and Beck would break up any day now, and she wouldn't be a laughing stock among the student body. Jade's fingers flew over the screen of her phone. The boy knew better than to ignore a rare call from her. She was greeted by booming bass from the receiver.

"Hold on, I gotta move past this speaker real quick. All right, what is it, Jade?" the voice struggled to shout over the background music.

"Andre, text me Tori's phone number," Jade commanded. Refusing to permit time for Andre to establish context, she quickly ended the call. A muffled scream announced the arrival of a new text message. Without a plan, Jade opened the message and tapped the number Andre had provided. The phone rang. Once. Twice.

"Who are you and why is your number blocked?" a sassy voice immediately challenged. Jade's vision briefly flashed crimson. A cooling thought prevailed; Tori didn't know it was her – of course, she had forgotten about the restriction feature she activated earlier in the year – she earned one chance to pull Jade back from the cliff.

"You have three seconds to walk back the tone, Vega," Jade firmly stated.

"Jade?" was Tori's confused response, although her tone had considerably changed. Good girl. Now Jade could be mad at her.

"Your little Ms. Sunshine act needs to stop, Tori! It's affecting people other than you now, and I refuse to let my reputation suffer for your-" Jade began to rant, a veritable overgrown jungle of words and accusations.

"W-Wait. Jade," Tori interjected. Jade fumed.

"Don't interrupt me!" she shouted back across the receiver.

"I-I didn't!" Tori quickly backpedaled. Jade growled but continued.

"Look, you need to figure out some people are beyond helping! They are black holes, destined to consume and destroy without remorse. And you playing the part of a stupid little "Fix-It Girl" won't help them – it will just hurt everyone around you!" Jade firmly ignored the fact that it was only because of Tori's weakness for helping people that she reconnected with Beck.

"Why are you screaming at me?" Tori asked, only partially whining. Jade sighed in frustration. She really didn't want to put the video into words, but she had no choice. How could Tori be simultaneously so observant and so dense? The girl was an enigma wrapped in flesh.

"Because of you, one of Robbie's little goons snuck up on me and Beck, shot a stupid video and now it's all over the web!" Jade explained, her voice growing louder as she explained.

"How was it my fault that Robbie-" started Tori's indignant reply. Jade swore a blood vessel would pop if she continued this conversation.

"I've already told you how it's your fault, Tori! I hate repeating myself-" she laid into the singer on the other end of the call.

"Jade!" Tori interrupted again. Jade growled; her voice dripped venom.

"And I hate being talked over! Whatever, I'm done talking. If you don't understand, just go watch the video. Everyone else in the world already has, I'm sure!"

"Okay, okay, yes! I'll watch it," Tori consented. Jade needed to push a little more, just to make sure her point had been received. After all, Tori was apparently in a 'dense' mood tonight.

"Now!" Jade commanded.

"Right now!" Tori consented. She sighed and hung up her phone. Whatever, she was just in the middle of working on a school assignment, but sure – she'd drop everything to watch another dumb _Robarazzi_ video. She had suffered enough humiliation over the stupid blog. Jade probably was just not used to being so firmly on the receiving end; the video probably wasn't even that bad.

It was that bad. Tori slammed her laptop closed, all thoughts of her open assignment gone. She grimaced as she leaned back in her chair, arms crossed protectively over her chest. Robbie had gone too far this time. No wonder Jade was furious – that video was a more invasive breach of privacy than anything Robbie had done so far. Spreading rumors about pimples and weird favorite foods was one thing, but he was now condoning literal spying! Stuff like that could actually drive people apart, and Jade and Beck had just gotten back together a month ago. Tori was mad at Robbie before, but now she finally felt the full gravity of Jade's words. Even though she never intended for Robbie to run roughshod like this, it **was** Tori's fault. She needed to fix this.

Tori was afforded a very brief distraction with her mom's return from the store. She had apparently found some new depilatory cream – "Oh my God," Tori had groaned at her mother's terrible pun even as she lathered the cream under Tori's arms – and had caught on to Tori's odd mood. While her parents were gone an awful lot, the question from her mom made he realize she was taking out her irritation the wrong way. She would have explained the entire situation if the flashing lights outside the backdoor hadn't caught her attention. _Robarazzi_ goons, cameras clacking away, had taken residence on her porch, and Tori struggled to balance her rage at them with her focus on keeping her arms in the air while the hair removal cream did its work. The little monsters finally retreated after gathering plenty of ammunition. That **teared** it - Tori was at her wits' end.

"Okay, I need to put an end to this now!" Tori announced before stomping off to the bathroom. First, remove this stinky hair cream. Then, send a message to Andre, Beck and Jade to invite them over tomorrow to plan the details to punish Robbie. Since he didn't care about their friendship, it was time to hit him where it would hurt – Robbie's new found popularity.

* * *

Jade didn't even try to fight back the grin gracing her lips. Seated in Tori's living room, leaning against Beck on the couch, she listened patiently as Tori laid out her revenge plan. It had taken an angry phone call, but she refused to argue with results. When she read the group text message from Tori the night before, she first was hesitant.

"REVENGE! Meet at my house tomorrow morning. I have a plan," the message read; it ended with an emoticon meant to represent "devious". When Jade received it, she rolled her eyes. Of course Tori's texts read just like her status updates on TheSlap. But she was intrigued enough to show up. Jade had seen Tori mad, even livid, and this presented an opportunity to see if Tori was capable of channeling that anger into productive action. Jade was also a little excited to see if Tori could craft and execute an adequate plan.

Jade wasn't disappointed, a fact that was equally surprising and amusing to the aspiring thespian. After Tori had explained the events last night at her home and her full plan, Jade was on board. The plan just needed a little help.

"Fine, but I'm bringing my camera as back-up. And we need to do it right at the end of class so more people are in the hallway," Jade expanded upon the plot. Tori nodded in agreement, smiling smugly. They liked her plan. This was actually going to work!

* * *

Monday afternoon arrived quickly. Jade and Tori met by Tori's locker, both had arranged with their teachers for time out of class for a 'film project', and double-checked Tori's video camera and Jade's digital camera. Equipment at the ready, Tori started aggressively checking her phone. With five minutes until the end of class, Tori was pacing the hallway anxiously while Jade looked up and down the hallway, her nerves feeding off Tori's behavior.

"Ugh! Where are they?!" Tori fumed, stomping her boot. Jade glanced over at her, unable to resist giving her a once over. Tori's outfit was cute, but she refused to compliment the girl. She needed to focus, herself.

"Patience," she replied firmly.

"They finished gym ten minutes ago!" Tori exclaimed, her arms flopping to her side. Jade rolled her eyes slightly.

"It takes time to get from the locker room all the way here," she explained, only sounding a little condescending. Tori had turned her back midway through Jade's assurance, opting to look down the hall again. Jade felt a minor irritation at Tori's decision to ignore her while she was speaking. "Hey, did that pit cream work?" she asked. She was also genuinely curious. If Tori had twisted around any faster, she would have given herself whiplash.

"**Never** speak of it!" she growled out, holding up a single finger while staring Jade in the eye. Jade looked away, her eye brows raising and her stomach fluttering. Whoa.

She froze, mentally counting to three in her head. Calm down, girl.

As if answering the need for a distraction, the sound of a door quickly flying open caught both girls' attention and they twisted back towards the opposing hallway. Jade felt a rush of what she could only describe as giddy energy.

"Oh! Turn it on, turn it on!" she gushed, grinning wildly as she reached out to touch Tori's arm. Tori was focused on her camera and didn't immediately register Jade's uncharacteristic excitement. She only had a few seconds before Robbie would be here. She started recording.

On queue, Andre and Beck ran around the corner. Jade leaned forward, camera up to her eye; it would only take another second or two before-

"It's not funny!" rang out Robbie's frustrated voice, accompanied by the sound of his bare feet slapping against the tile floor. As he rounded the corner, Jade instantly snapped several photos. Robbie shrieked in surprise. "Turn off the camera!" Tori heard other students laughing over her shoulder, but Robbie remained her focus. She forced a smile she didn't mean.

"Why? You look so cute!" she chimed with fake excitement.

"Dance for us, Robbie," Jade urged, her voice sultry. Tori looked over at Jade to catch her expression, her smile turning genuine. Robbie demanded they return his clothes, all while Jade continued clicking the camera away. Tori pretended to consider Robbie's request, asking the group what they thought. With unanimous consent, they disagreed. Jade moved behind Tori to her other side; she needed another angle.

"Nah, I think we need to put this video online," Tori flatly answered Robbie's plea. Robbie begged further.

"Sorry," Jade answered, but clearly did not mean. Tori again glanced at the girl, eager to match her response.

"The people wanna see what the people wanna see," Tori added in a resigned tone, as if her hands were tied.

"You can not put this video online!" Robbie claimed, his voice an odd mix between sounding angry and begging. Tori nodded as Andre agreed to kill the video.

"If you kill _Robarazzi_!" she stated, her gaze icy. In shock, Robbie only now saw the similarities between Tori and Jade – their expressions were identical, as if they had practiced this confrontation, down to their body language. Their lips mirrored the other, a flat line painted in place, and their brows were creased downwards, critical, dangerous. It didn't make sense. Tori had only been here for two months, and Jade didn't seem to even like the girl. How were they both so in sync with each other?

"What? No!" Robbie exclaimed, incapable of abandoning the only project that had ever gotten him positive attention.

"Yes!" Tori demanded. Jade grinned; Tori sounded good and pissed. She liked it.

"My blog is a hit!" Robbie tried to defend himself. Without a word between the two, Tori and Jade moved synchronously to collect more images. Robbie again was struck by their similarity.

"All right, then I'm just going to zoom in right here and..." Tori trailed off, moving the camera to do exactly as she threatened. Robbie reached out to block the camera, begging her to cease.

"Are you gonna stop?" she asked, danger flicking across her dark eyes. Jade tilted her head, her own pale orbs focused on Robbie's reaction. He glanced between the two of them, looking for any help. None was available. He was alone.

"Well if I don't do Robarazzi, what am I going to do for my blog on TheSlap?!" he desperately asked, as if he couldn't possibly stop the show without a replacement. Tori couldn't believe his audacity. She glanced at Jade, the dark clothed girl mirroring her action unbidden. She felt...something...exchange between them. An understanding? Agreement? Words couldn't describe it, but Tori felt like she was inside Jade's mind. And Jade was right. Some people were black holes, feeding off the starlight of others.

Jade saw it in Tori's chocolate irises – she understood. It was more of a human connection than Jade ever had with another person, even Beck. Oh, he was patient, he tolerated, but he didn't understand. Even though it was limited, it was just one small fragment of her world view, Tori clearly understood Jade in that moment.

They both turned their gaze back to Robbie.

"Two words," Jade started flatly, two fingers held in the air.

"Your problem," Tori finished firmly. She snapped her camcorder closed. Now armed with blackmail, she knew Robbie wouldn't dare continue to embarrass them. Andre and Beck tossed the stolen clothing back to Robbie, who slunk off with only a sad whimper. Tori ran a hand through her hair. Now that the confrontation was over, she felt a rancid bubble in her stomach fighting to escape. She really didn't like treating other people like that, but she was glad the whole thing was finally over.

Jade watched Tori's internal struggle with hidden interest. Tori was clearly feeling conflicted, but now she finally understood. Where would that understanding lead? With a quick congratulations among them, the group dispersed – they still had afternoon classes to finish and it was only Monday.

The black star's orbit slipped a little lower, circling the aspiring singer that much faster.


End file.
